Onion (Allium cepa L.) Extract Supplementation Improved Meat Quality, Oxidative Stabilityand Some Hematological Parameters in Suckling Lambs

摘要

The antioxidant properties of common onion(Allium cepa L.) have already been investigated anddocumented. This study was conducted to evaluate theeffects of two doses of onion extract on meat oxidativestability, meat quality and some hema tologicalparameters 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) onionextract, respectively) and treated for 60 days. Blood wascollected on days 30 and 60 of the experiment. The liver,spleen and thighmuscles were collected after slaughteringthe animals. The effects of storage time on meat qualitywere determined after 3 or 6 months of storage at -20°C.The pH, moisture, Water-Holding Capacity (WHC), crudefat and MalondialDehyde (MDA) of the meat wereevaluated. Administration of onion extract significantlydecreased the amounts of crude fat and MDAconcentration in both treatment groups (p<0.05).lymphocyte?s numbers increased significantly in thetreatment 2 group compared with other groups (p<0.05).A significant increase in Lightness (L) of meat in thetreatment 2 group compared to the control group wasobserved (p<0.05). No significant difference noticedbetween the groups in the remained evaluated parametersof meat, neutrophil counts, the neutrophil/lymphocyteratio, monocyte?s numbers and liver and spleen weight.Conclusion, onion extract supplementation improved meatquality, oxidative stability and lymphocyte numbersinsuckling lambs.