A study to verify the effects of sex and aging time of selected carcass cuts on meat quality was conducted. Longissimus dorsi and Semimembranous muscles from five intact males, five castrated males and five female lambs with average slaughter weight of about 35kg were used. Meat pH, myofibrillar fragmentation index, cooking losses, shear force, intramuscular lipids, color and sensorial tenderness were measured after 1, 3, 7 and 14 days of aging at 2ºC. Meat from castrated males and from female lambs showed lower shear force values than those from intact male lambs. Higher levels of fat and lower cooking losses were observed in meat from castrated animals related to those from intact lambs. Aging time did not significantly (p>0.05) affect shear force or sensory tenderness of meats. This observation suggests that lamb meat, mainly from castrated males, can enter the fresh meat market soon after holding carcasses for 24 hours at 2ºC.
shear force; myofibrillar fragmentation index; cooking losses; sensorial tenderness
