QUALITY OF HAMBURGER AND SAUSAGES MADE WITH MEAT FROM LAMBS FED SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND VITAMIN E

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate qualitative parameters of hamburgers and sausages made with less noble cuts from the carcass of lamb fed sunflower seeds and vitamin E. The processed products were prepared using meat from the neck and ribs of 32 Ile de France lambs slaughtered when the body weight reached 32 kg. Lambs were divided into four treatment groups of eight animals each and fed different diets: SC - sugarcane + concentrate; SCS - sugarcane + concentrate with sunflower seeds; SCE - sugarcane + concentrate containing 1,000 mg vitamin E/kg of dietary dry matter (DM), and SCSE - sugarcane + concentrate with sunflower seeds and 1,000 m vitamin E/kg of dietary DM. An interaction was observed between sunflower seeds and vitamin E (P<0.05) for pH, color, tenderness and lipid peroxidation of burgers, and for lightness, yellowness, water-holding capacity and tenderness of sausages. Additionally, in sausages, a difference was found (P<0.05) between treatments for cooking loss, redness (a*) and lipid peroxidation with the inclusion of sunflower seeds. The last two parameters were also influenced by the inclusion of vitamin E in the diet (P<0.05). Burgers made with meat from lambs fed the control diet (SC) had a higher pH (5.77), and burgers and sausages of the SCSE treatment had the highest a* value (9.40 and 8.79) and lowest lipid peroxidation (4.42 and 2.15 mg malonaldehyde/kg of sample, respectively). Tenderness was greater (0.57 kgf/cm(2)) for sausages from animals fed SCS and lower (0.31 kgf/cm(2)) for sausages of the SCSE treatment. Cooking losses were higher for sausages (23.03%) compared to sausages from animals fed only sunflower seeds (17.21%). Meat from lambs fed sunflower seeds and vitamin E can be used to make processed products. Hamburgers and sausages are good alternatives for sheep meat processing.