Influence of fresh alfalfa supplementation on fat skatole and indole concentration and chop odour and flavour in lambs grazing a cocksfoot pasture.
We investigated the influence of the level of fresh alfalfa supplementation on fat skatole and indole concentration and chop sensory attributes in grazing lambs. Four groups of nine male Romane lambs grazing a cocksfoot pasture were supplemented with various levels of alfalfa for at least 60days before slaughter. Perirenal fat skatole concentration was higher for lambs that consumed alfalfa than for those that consumed only cocksfoot. The intensity of 'animal' odour in the lean part of the chop and of 'animal' flavour in both the lean and fat parts of the chop, evaluated by a trained sensory panel, increased from the lowest level of alfalfa supplementation onwards and did not increase further with increasing levels of alfalfa supplementation. The outcome of this study therefore suggests that these sensory attributes may reach a plateau when perirenal fat skatole concentration is in the range 0.16-0.24μg/g of liquid fat.
['Devincenzi|T|T|', 'Prunier|A|A|', 'Meteau|K|K|', 'Nabinger|C|C|', 'Prache|S|S|']
D000821:Animal Feed D000818:Animals D031745:Dactylis D019587:Dietary Supplements D007211:Indoles D008055:Lipids D008297:Male D008460:Meat D000455:Medicago sativa D009812:Odorants D034561:Sheep, Domestic D012862:Skatole D013649:Taste
Skatole Lamb Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Off-flavour Sensory analysis δ15N