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The effect of feeding flaxseed or algae supplements to lambs on muscle antioxidant potential (vitamin E), major fatty acid groups, lipid oxidation and retail colour was investigated. Lambs (n=120) were randomly allocated to one of 4 dietary treatments according to liveweight and fed the following diets for eight weeks: Annual ryegrass hay [60%]+subterranean clover hay [40%] pellets=Basal diet; Basal diet with flaxseed (10.7%)=Flax; Basal diet with algae (1.8%)=Algae; Basal diet with flaxseed (10.7%) and algae (1.8%)=FlaxAlgae. Flaxseed or algae supplementation significantly affected major fatty acid groups in muscle. The addition of algae (average of Algae and FlaxAlgae) resulted in lower vitamin E concentration in muscle (P<0.003; 1.0 vs 1.3mg/kg of muscle) compared with lambs fed a diet without algae (average of Basal and Flax). Increasing muscle EPA+DHA by algae supplementation significantly increased lipid oxidation, but retail display colour of fresh meat was not affected., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the effects of different strategies for feeding supplements to grazing dairy cows on the proportions of fatty acids in milk. Two hundred and sixteen cows were fed supplementary grain and forage according to one of 3 different strategies; (1) CONTROL: cows grazed perennial ryegrass pasture (14 kg dry matter/d) supplemented with milled barley grain fed in the milking parlour and pasture silage offered in the paddock; (2) Partial mixed ration 1 (PMR1): same pasture allotment and supplement as CONTROL strategy, but the supplements presented as a mixed ration after each milking in feedpad, and; (3) Partial mixed ration 2 (PMR2): same pasture allotment, supplemented with a mixed ration of milled barley grain, alfalfa hay, corn silage and crushed corn grain fed in a feedpad. Within each strategy, cows were assigned to receive either 6, 8, 10 or 12 kg dry matter supplement/cow per d. Milk fatty acid proportions from cows fed CONTROL and PMR1 strategies were similar and different from those fed PMR2, particularly at 10 to 12 kg dry matter supplement/cow per d. The reduction in milk fat yield and concentration in cows fed high amounts of supplement as CONTROL and PMR1 was coincident with 4 × increase in 10t-18:1 proportion. The composition of the partial mixed ration (PMR) and the amount offered affected milk fatty acid proportions and milk fat content, however, the method of supplementation did not.

We investigated the association of muscle iron concentration, in addition to ultimate pH (pHU), on dark meat formation in sheep of different breeds fed forage-based diets. At 1 h simulated display, redness of meat (a*-value) increased (P <.0001) by about 3 units as the iron concentration increased from 10 to 22 mg/kg of meat, whereas the a*-value decreased by 2 units as pHU increased from 5.5 to 6.2 in fresh meat (P <.0001). After 90 days storage the corresponding responses were about 2 units increase for iron concentration and about 1 unit decrease for pHU, respectively. The results clearly show that increased muscle iron concentration was strongly associated with reduced dark cutting in fresh and stored meat evaluated at 1 h simulated display. We conclude that it may be desirable to measure iron concentration, along with pHU, for evaluation of the potential for carcasses to produce dark cutting meat, and for the meat to turn brown during display. • The association of muscle iron concentration and ultimate pH on redness of sheep meat at retail display was investigated • Increased muscle iron concentration was strongly associated with increased redness at 1 h retail display • The muscle iron effect on redness occurred both in fresh and in stored (aged) meat • The effect of muscle iron concentration was additive to the accepted effect of ultimate pH at 1 h retail display • There is a necessity to measure both iron concentration and ultimate pH when evaluating carcasses for dark cutting meat [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]