Effects of the rearing season on carcass and meat quality of suckling Apennine light lambs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the rearing season (autumn vs winter) on the carcass and meat quality of light lambs, obtained according to the traditional farming system usual in central Italy. Eighty carcasses from 60 d ± 3 old unweaned Apennine single birth male lambs, permanently reared indoor, half in autumn (receiving milk from ewes permanently pastured) and half in winter (which dams did never acceded to pasture), were weighed, classified according to the EU classification system for light lambs, and their Longissimus lumborum meat was analysed for pH, colour, drip and cooking losses, proximate composition and fatty acids profile of intramuscular fat. Most of the carcasses fully responded to the 1st quality EU requirements and no effects of the rearing season was evident on carcass characteristics. On the contrary, L. lumborum of lambs born and reared in autumn, receiving milk from ewes permanently pastured, evidenced a lower Lightness L* (P = 0.02), a higher Chroma C* (P = 0.01), with a higher fat content (P = 0.04) than lambs reared in winter, which dams were permanently stall-fed. Moreover the intramuscular fat of the former was characterized by a greater PUFA concentration (P = 0.01), a more favourable n-6/n-3 ratio (P < 0.001), and a higher CLA content (P < 0.001) than the latter, as a result of the difference related to the sheep traditional feeding system.