The objective of this work was to evaluate nutritional characteristics of meat from lambs finished on feedlot with diets containing sugar cane or corn silage on two roughage:concentrate ratios (60:40 or 40:60). It was used 32 non castrated Ile de France lambs, with 15 kg of body weight distributed in a complete random experimental design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The animals were confined in individual stalls and slaughtered at 32 kg. Lamb meats had 74.55% of moisture, 19.61% of crude protein, 1.04% of ash and 51.28 mg/100g of cholesterol. Ether extract was greater in meat of lambs fed corn silage (3.97%) and in the meat of those animals which received more concentrate food (4.02%). Fatty acids at greater concentration in lamb meat were: C18:1w9 (37.93%), C16:0 (26.41%), C18:0 (17.09%), C14:0 (4.18%) and C18:2w6 (4.00%). The meat of lambs fed diets containing sugar cane had higher contents of C10:0 (0.47%) and C20:4w6 (4.17%), and lower contents of C16:1w7 (2.02%) and C18:3w3 (0.25%). Diet with greater amount of sugar cane (60%) promoted more contents of acids C15:0 (0.68%), C17:0 (2.13%) and C20:2 (1.34%) in the meat. Diets with sugar cane or more quantities of roughage (60%) promote lower deposition of fat in lamb meat. Type of roughage has more influence on fatty acid profile of lamb meat when compared to roughage:concentrate ratio of diets. Diets containing higher quantity of sugar cane originate lamb meat with greater concentrations of odd chain saturated fatty acids.
centesimal composition; cholesterol; fatty acids; feedlot; roughage: concentrate ratio; sheep meat
