Authors : Amiri Mosayeb, Jelodar Gholamali, Nazifi Saeed and Omidi Arash
Abstract: The antioxidant properties of common onion (Allium cepa L.) have already been investigated and documented. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of two doses of onion extract on meat oxidative stability, meat quality and some hema tologicalpara meters in suckling lambs. Eighteen suckling lambs (30±3 days old Turkey-Ghashghai) were selected, weighed and randomly allocated into 3 groups as control (regular diet+sheep milk), treatment 1 and treatment 2 (fed same as control plus 150 or 250 mg kg–1 onion extract, respectively) and treated for 60 days. Blood was collected on days 30 and 60 of the experiment. The liver, spleen and thighmuscles were collected after slaughtering the animals. The effects of storage time on meat quality were determined after 3 or 6 months of storage at -20°C. The pH, moisture, Water-Holding Capacity (WHC), crude fat and MalondialDehyde (MDA) of the meat were evaluated. Administration of onion extract significantly decreased the amounts of crude fat and MDA concentration in both treatment groups (p<0.05). lymphocyte’s numbers increased significantly in the treatment 2 group compared with other groups (p<0.05). A significant increase in Lightness (L) of meat in the treatment 2 group compared to the control group was observed (p<0.05). No significant difference noticed between the groups in the remained evaluated parameters of meat, neutrophil counts, the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, monocyte’s numbers and liver and spleen weight. Conclusion, onion extract supplementation improved meat quality, oxidative stability and lymphocyte numbersin suckling lambs.
Amiri Mosayeb, Jelodar Gholamali, Nazifi Saeed and Omidi Arash, 2020. Onion (Allium cepa L.) Extract Supplementation Improved Meat Quality, Oxidative Stability and Some Hematological Parameters in Suckling Lambs. Agricultural Journal, 15: 91-96.