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Intramuscular fat content of New Zealand lamb M. longissimus lumborum

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posted on 2023-05-03, 17:09 authored by Cameron CraigieCameron Craigie, Michael AgnewMichael Agnew, Adam Stuart, Paul ShortenPaul Shorten, Marlon M.Reis, Kevin Taukiri, Patricia Johnson
The content of intramuscular fat (IMF%) in lamb is an important trait for the lamb meat value chain. Not only is IMF% an important energy reserve for replacement stock, IMF% is an important driver of lamb meat eating quality. A growing body of research shows an antagonistic relationship between muscle growth traits and fat content across the lamb carcass (including IMF%). The New Zealand sheep industry has selected for muscle growth traits for decades to improve production efficiency and reduce extremes of carcass fatness historically observed, but the impacts on IMF% levels in New Zealand lamb has not been widely investigated. This paper aims to stimulate discussion on lamb IMF% by reporting on levels of IMF% observed in the M. longissimus lumborum (LL) of 1,705 progeny test lambs raised under extensive, pasture-based production systems across New Zealand, and investigates the relationship between IMF% and Carcass weight, VIAscan®-predicted GR (VSGR) and lean meat yield percentage (VSYLD). The average IMF% was 2.69%, (SD = 0.83%, and ranged between 0.91-6.42%). IMF% is positively correlated with carcass weight and VSGR and negatively correlated with VSYLD. Considerable variation exists in lamb IMF% highlighting the opportunity to manage IMF% through genetic improvement and optimised on-farm management.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Language

  • English

Does this contain Māori information or data?

  • No

Publisher

New Zealand Society of Animal Production (NZSAP)

Journal title

New Zealand Society of Animal Production

ISSN

1176-5283

Citation

Craigie, C. R., Agnew, M. P., Stuart, A. D., Shorten, P. R., Reis, M. M., Taukiri, K. R., & Johnson, P. L. (2017). Intramuscular fat content of New Zealand lamb M. longissimus lumborum. New Zealand Society of Animal Production, 77, 189–193.

Funder

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics

Contract number

A21836

Job code

67295

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