The research carried out on meat from 45 ram lambs of the Polish merino
breed allowed to determine the effect of meat aging and muscle type on
physicochemical characteristics and oxidative stability of lipids. Analysis
of physicochemical traits (pH, meat color, expressed juice, cooking loss,
shear force, moisture, protein, fat and total collagen content) was
performed on fresh and meat aged for 14 d in the longissimus lumborum (LL) and gluteus medius (GM) muscles.
The meat aging determined all physicochemical characteristics except
protein and fat content. More changes in pH and meat color parameters
were defined in the GM muscle compared to the LL muscle. The increase in the
tenderness of meat expressed as a reduction (P<0.05) of shear force
values was observed in both muscles aged for 14 d. A lower value
(P<0.05) of the shear force, despite the higher content of
collagen, was determined in the GM muscle compared to LL. The investigated muscles
differed in the degree of lipid peroxidation expressed as thiobarbituric
acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in both fresh and aged meat. The TBARS
value was lower (P<0.05) in the LL muscle than in GM. In the longissimus lumborum muscle, the
significantly lower content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and PUFA
n-6 has been recorded. The oxidation stability was not influenced by the
meat aging.