Fatty acid profile and lambs' meat quality fed with different levels of crude glycerin replacing corn

This study aimed to evaluate the Texel lambs' meat quality fed with increasing levels of crude glycerin (0, 7, 14, and 21% of dry matter) in the diet. Thirthy-two-two non-castrated male Texel lambs were used, with initial weight of 15.9 +/- 4.1 kg, using a completely randomized design with four treatments and eight repetitions, per treatment. Upon reaching the average weight of 35 kg, the animals were slaughtered. The meat chemical composition was similar among treatments (P>0.05) and total lipids and crude protein presented averages of 3.47 and 20.05 g 100g(-1), respectively. No changes in pH, marbling, color, and water loss under pressure were observed. The shear force did not change among treatments and the texture can be considered soft, with average values of 5.48 kgf. There was a linear (P<0.05) decrease in odor values by the addition of glycerin and no significant differences (P>0.05) were observed for the attributes flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptance among treatments. Fatty acids in higher proportions in the meat lamb were to C18: 1n-9 (1298.90 mg 100g(-1)), C16:0 (709.07 mg 100g(-1)) and C18: 0 (433.30 mg 100g(-1)), with percentages of 42.72, 23.07 and 14.35%, respectively. Significant difference according to the glycerin level in the diet was observed only for the margaric acid (C17:0) with an increasing linear effect, reaching 58.95 mg 100g(-1) muscle to the group with 21% crude glycerin, corresponding to 1.77% of total fatty acids. The other fatty acids did not change, and provided a satisfactory result for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), totaling about 6.1 mg 100 g(-1) muscle, corresponding to 0.21% of total lipids. The use of glycerin in the diet for finishing lambs does not alter the characteristics of the meat, maintaining the product quality for consumption.