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Journal article
Pasture feeding improves the fatty acid composition of lamb muscle
Grassland Research, Early View
2026
Abstract
Background
The nutritional quality of red meat is an increasing priority for consumers. Grass-fed lamb is known to be higher in health-promoting omega-3 fatty acids (FAs), especially relative to concentrate feeding. Given advances in pasture management, concentrate formulation, and ruminant genetics, a further assessment of FA concentrations in lamb meat is warranted.
Methods
Three groups of lambs, from one research study (n = 26) and two commercial studies (n = 57), were used. Lambs were finished on a grass or concentrate diet. FAs of longissimus dorsi (LD; n = 83) and quadriceps femoris (QF; n = 83) were measured quantitatively using gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis.
Results
Grass relative to concentrate feeding increased the content of C18:3 n-3 (54.5 vs. 25.1 mg (100 g)–1; p < 0.001), C20:5 n-3 (19.8 vs. 12.0 mg (100 g)–1; p < 0.001), C22:5 n-3 (20.4 vs. 15.6 mg (100 g)–1; p < 0.001) and C22:6 n-3 (7.5 vs. 5.5 mg (100 g)–1; p < 0.001). Total FAs were increased in LD, compared to QF muscle (p < 0.001). Correspondingly, LC n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was higher in QF muscle, compared to LD (p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Consumption of grass-finished lamb, naturally enriched in n-3 PUFA, may contribute to improved dietary n-3 PUFA intake, which has been associated with reduced risk of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
Details
- Title
- Pasture feeding improves the fatty acid composition of lamb muscle
- Authors/Creators
- Lynda S Perkins (Author) - Murdoch University, School of Agricultural SciencesAlan Gordon (Author) - Agri Food and Biosciences InstituteNigel Scollan (Author) - Queen's University Belfast
- Publication Details
- Grassland Research, Early View
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Chinese Grassland Society and Lanzhou University.
- Number of pages
- 10
- Identifiers
- 991005918619507891
- Copyright
- © 2026 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Agricultural Sciences
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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