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Abstract
Sixty-four male lambs of two Southern Spanish breeds, a dairy breed (Grazalema Merino)
and a meat breed (Churra Lebrijana), were used to study the effects of slaughter weight
and breed on meat traits and intramuscular and subcutaneous fat composition. Lambs
were reared following a traditional production system without weaning and slaughtered
when live weight reached 12kg (suckling) or 20kg (light). Meat from suckling lambs
of both breeds had lower fat and myoglobin contents, and was more tender and had higher
scores for sustained juiciness in the sensory analysis. Fat from light lambs had lower
C12:0 and C14:0 levels than fat from suckling lambs. Grazalema Merino meat had higher
fat and ash contents, and its fat had higher conjugated linoleic acid content than
Churra Lebrijana meat.