The effect of lamb genotype on growth, basic characteristics of carcass value and the chemical composition of meat

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of genotype on the growth, basic characteristics of carcass value and chemical composition of the Quadriceps femoris muscle in lambs reared under organic farming conditions. The experimental animals were 24 single male crossbred lambs. Three different genotypes of Suffolk-sired crossbreds were included in the experiment: F1 Suffolk (SF) x Charollais (CH) (SF 50 CH 50; n = 8), F11 Suffolk x Charollais (SF 75 CH 25; n = 8) and F1 Suffolk x Improved Wallachian (IW) (SF 50 IW 50; n = 8). All the lambs were reared in a single flock under the same conditions during the course of the study, with no significant differences in nutrition or management. The study showed that genotype did not have any conclusive effect on average daily gain or carcass yield at the age of slaughter. However, compared to other genotypes, the SF 75 CH 25 crossbred lambs displayed a significantly lower live weight at slaughter, lower carcass weight and lower content of kidney fat. In terms of the chemical composition of the Quadriceps femoris muscle, genotype had no significant effect on the content of dry matter, intramuscular fat and ash. This factor did, however, have a significant effect on protein content. Finally, it should be added that the meat of all the studied groups of lambs can be considered lean in view of the fact that the limit of 5% intramuscular fat content was not exceeded in any of the groups.