Mesquite Pod (Prosopis Juliflora) meal on Meat Quality of Pasture-Finishing Lambs

Abstract This study was carried out to evaluate the best inclusion level and the effects of mesquite pod ( Prosopis juliflora ) meal on carcass characteristics and meat quality for lambs finished in pasture. Forty male, non-castrated, crossbred Santa Inês lambs, with an initial body weight (24.2 ± 3.1 kg), and approximately 120-days old. The animals were kept in a total area of ​​4 ha, divided in 4 paddocks of 0.62 ha each (10 animals/paddocks), on pastures of Massai ( Panicum maximum cv. massai ) with drinkers and feeders during the finishing phase. Dietary treatments based on levels of corn ground replacement for mesquite pod meal included: CON – Without mesquite pod meal; MPM25 – 250 g/kg of mesquite pod meal; MPM50 – 500 g/kg of mesquite pod meal; and MPM75 – 750 g/kg of mesquite pod meal. No treatment effects were detected (P> 0.05) for carcass measures, carcass characteristics, chemical composition of longissimus thoracis muscle, tissue composition, and lipid oxidation. Lamb meat color values, such as lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) were not affected (P> 0.05) by mesquite pod meal replacement on the diets, whereas for redness (a*), HUE, and crhoma were influenced (P< 0.05). Palmitic acid had a quadratic effect, while oleic acid, eicosatrienoic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and PUFA:SFA had a linear course (P< 0.05). In conclusion the mesquite pod meal can be used as an energy feed source up to 750 g/kg of dry matter in the diet, without changing the carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs finished in pasture.