Fatty acid profile and lipid oxidation of lamb meat reared in arid area indoors and grazing outdoors in south west of Algeria

The aim of this study is to compare the fatty acid profile and flavor of lamb meats originating from grazing (A) and concentrate (C) diets. Twenty four lambs of Rumbi breed were used. One hundred and five days after rearing and slaughter process, left side samples of longissimus dorsi (LD) were taken from carcasses to be treated and analyzed. The fatty acids of lamb meat A and C were characterized respectively by 1.39 vs 0.41% of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA n-3) (p<0.001) and 3.59vs4.64% PUFA n-6 (p<0.05), 40.51vs46.95% of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and 54.45vs48.00% of saturated fatty acids (SFA). The n-6/n-3 and LA/ALA ratios were decreased significantly in meat from grazing than concentrate 3.20 vs 14.31 and 2.79 vs 12.08 respectively. The PUFA have a high propensity to oxidize, which in turn may affect lipid stability. The malondialdehyde (MDA) showed higher concentrations (31.11vs26.06 nmol.g -1 ) at all times of the oxidation kinetics in meat (A) than (C). Considering the consumers’ interest in organic food products, a special attention for better meat storage is necessary to reach good health benefits.