Random Forest-Assisted Widely Targeted Lipidomic Reveals Differences in Tan Lamb Meat Quality in Different Regions

This study aims to elucidate the quality differences among Tan lamb from three major production regions and investigate the influence and regulation of lipids on regional sheep meat quality. The Ningxia Tan lamb exhibited higher pH values, lower lightness and yellowness, better water-holding capacity and more polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to the other regions. GC-IMS revealed different flavor profiles of Tan lamb from different regions. A total of 1080 lipids across 41 lipid subclasses were identified, with 10 lipid molecules, including PC (16:0_16:1), Carnitine C3:0 and Carnitine C5:1, serving as key differentiators among the regions, as determined by the Random Forest method. Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between acyl lipid characteristics and pH, lightness and centrifugal loss, while glycerophospholipid characteristics were significantly correlated with basic nutritional indices. Lipid metabolic pathway analysis indicated that thermogenesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism and metabolic pathways as crucial for Tan lamb growth, serving as major pathways for distinguishing different regional Tan lamb. These findings indicate that origin influences lamb quality and lipid composition and that a relationship may exist between lamb quality and lipid variations. This provides a comprehensive understanding of how lamb quality is formed and contributes to future identification of lamb origins, as well as control and enhancement of meat quality.