Effects of Ewe’s Diet Supplementation with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Meat Lipid Profile of Suckling Lambs
Luis Cal-Pereyra,
José Ramiro González-Montaña,
Karina Neimaur Fernández,
Mayra Cecilia Abreu-Palermo,
María José Martín Alonso,
Valente Velázquez-Ordoñez,
Jorge Acosta-Dibarrat
Affiliations
Luis Cal-Pereyra
Departamento de Patología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de La República, Montevideo 1300, Uruguay
José Ramiro González-Montaña
Departamento de Medicina, Cirugía y Anatomía Veterinaria, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24007 León, Spain
Karina Neimaur Fernández
Departamento de Producción Animal, Unidad de Producción de Ovinos y Caprinos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de La República, Libertad 80100, Uruguay
Mayra Cecilia Abreu-Palermo
Departamento de Patología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de La República, Montevideo 1300, Uruguay
María José Martín Alonso
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad de Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Valente Velázquez-Ordoñez
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca 50295, Mexico
Jorge Acosta-Dibarrat
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca 50295, Mexico
Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deposition in lambs’ muscles could be influenced by their mothers’ diet. The aim was to study the profile of fatty acids in the muscle of lambs from ewes supplemented with different sources of PUFA to achieve a healthier meat for the consumer. On day 100 of gestation, pregnant ewes grazed on natural grass were divided into three groups (n = 20) and supplemented with PUFA: Group A: 700 g of a ration rich in PUFA, Group B: 700 g of a ration for sheep + 20 mL of fish oil and Group C: 700 g of the same ration. After parturition, each group was subdivided: ten ewes continued with the same diet until the end of lactation; the other ten were fed only natural grass. The values of n-3 and n-6 PUFA and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA) were analyzed in Longissimus lumborum muscles of lambs at 90 and 120 days of life. The feeding of ewes during lactation favorably influenced the lipid profile of the lamb muscle, increasing the concentration of n-3 and n-6 PUFA, ALA, LA, AA, DHA and EPA. The supplementation of ewes with fish oil and/or a ration rich in PUFA improved the LA/ALA ratio in lambs’ meat.