Introduction - Lamb meat and milk products obtained from sheep are usually main protein sources for indigent people from rural areas in Turkey. The determination of appropriate breed in a specific feeding condition is very important to obtain high quality products, and also profitable production. There has been an increased interest to fatty acid composition of meat in recent years, because saturated fatty acid (SFA) and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) are considered major risk factors for coronary heart diseases. Aim - The aim of the study was to determine the finishing performance and meat fatty acid composition under intensive production system of lambs from sheep breeds widespread in Marmara Region of Turkey. Materials and methods - After weaning at 85-day, 6 lambs from Imroz and 10 lambs from each of Kivircik, Chios, Ramlic and Turkish Merino breeds were finished for 56-day after the 1-week adaptation period to diet. Longissimus dorsi muscle was used to assess meat fatty acid composition. Results - Imroz and Chios lambs had lower initial and final weights, and average daily gain (ADG) than Kivircik, Ramlic and Turkish Merino lambs (P < 0.001). Moreover, Imroz lambs had lower ADG than Chios lambs. Kivircik, Ramlic and Turkish Merino lambs had similar finishing performance. Differences between breeds for proportions of individual fatty acids other than lauric acid were not significant (P > 0.05). Lauric acid proportion was higher in Ramlic lambs than Kivircik and Chios lambs (P < 0.05). The effect of breed on SSFA, SMUFA, SPUFA, Sn-6 proportions and SPUFA/SSFA ratio were not significant (P > 0.05), whereas meat of Ramlic lambs had higher Sn-3 proportion than that of Imroz lambs (P < 0.05). Conclusion - No significant breed influence was observed for meat fatty acids, which are important in terms of cardio-vascular health. However, Kivircik, Ramlic and Turkish Merino lambs might be considered to have a greater potential for meat production, because of higher final weight and ADG in lambs of these breeds than Imroz and Chios lambs.
