Non-genetic factors affecting the meat quality and flavor of Inner Mongolian lambs: A review

Abstract

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ranks first among the five major pastoral areas in terms of lamb breeding of China. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has a vast territory, with many famous grasslands and thousands of forage plants and multiple local high-quality lamb breeds. After hundreds of years of artificial breeding and improvement, Mongolian sheep have developed many varieties. Different diets, feeding and treatment methods have effects on the production performance, lipid deposition and flavor composition of mutton sheep. Therefore, understanding the relationship among Inner Mongolian lamb, meat quality, and flavor will improve the production of high-quality mutton. The regulation of meat quality and flavor will have a profound impact on the deep processing and income-generating capabilities of mutton. Non-genetic factors affect the quality and flavor of mutton, which are more intuitive than genetic factors. In this review, we cover the contributions made by scientists to explore and improve the quality and flavor of Inner Mongolia lambs through non-genetic means, compare the differences between grazing and drylot-feeding in detail, and summarize some feed additives. We hope that based on our review, we can provide some inspiration to improve the meat quality of Mongolian sheep.

Effects of Feeding Systems and Castration on the Growth Performance and some Carcass Traits in Lambs of Dhamari sheep- Yemen

“…The results in this study disagreed with Gashu et al (2017) and Claffey et al (2018) who reported that intact lambs indicate significantly better feed conversion ratio than castrated lambs that caused by sex hormone which lead to increase the efficiency of dietary nutrient utilization, through enhancing feed efficiency (Ismail 2006). Liu et al (2022) showed that the FCR of rams was 12-15% higher than that of castrates, which tends to be similar to our results which showed an improvement of the FCR by 8%.…”

“…On the other hand, the disappearance of the significant differences between intact and castrated lambs regarding the total and daily weight gain in this study it might be due to that the castrated lambs in the last stages of the experiment grew rapidly, but they could not reach the same growth rate of intact lambs which in accordance with the findings of Melches et al, (2006) who mentioned that lambs are also able to compensate for weight loss post-castration. These results are in consistence with earlier studies who confirmed that intact lambs were significantly superior in average total and daily weight gain comparing to castrated ones, the predominance of intact lambs is caused by the stimulation of sex hormones testosterone (Seideman et al 1982;Hanrahan 1999;Liu et al 2022). Moreover, Kiyma et al, 2000 reported that an improved growth rate in intact lambs could be associated ISSN: 2537-0804 eISSN: 2537-0855…”

“…In addition, this result disagrees with Schreurs (2013) and Gashu et al (2017) who found that intact sheep had higher average daily gain (g/d) compering to castrated lambs. Also, studies have mentioned comparing with castrates that rams grow faster, have higher feed utilization rates and higher final life body weight (Nazari et al 2014;Claffey et al 2018;Liu et al 2022). In relation to feed intake and FCR, there were no significant differences between among both groups.…”

Analysis of rotational grazing management for sheep in mixed grassland

“…For a long time, the development of animal husbandry in grassland areas has been heavily dependent on natural grassland, which has led to long-term overgrazing, grassland degradation and desertification, resulting in an imbalance in grassland ecological and productive functions ( Bardgett et al, 2021 ). However, in most agricultural areas, the total house-feeding system has been widely adopted, which has resulted in lower livestock activity, reduced mutton quality and more severe disease ( Liu et al, 2022 ). Modern grassland and animal husbandry are new industrial patterns, a remarkable feature of which is the combination of planting and animal husbandry ( Hou & Zhang, 2018 ).…”

Integrated Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Analyses Reveal the Candidate Genes Regulating the Meat Quality Change by Castration in Yudong Black Goats (Capra hircus)

“…Goat meat quality is influenced by various factors, which can be divided into nongenetic and genetic factors. Non-genetic factors, such as the external environment, feeding management and slaughtering methods, vary considerably across the industry [2]. Conversely, genetic factors, including the breed, individual characteristics and tissue parts, exhibit less variability [3,4].…”