Effect of feeding rapeseed and linseed diets and their supplementation with vitamin E on health quality of lamb meat

This study was aimed to determine the effect of feeding lambs diets with different proportions of double-low rapeseed and linseed and their supplementation with vitamin E on selected parameters of health quality of lamb meat. Lambs were fattened intensively to 30–35 kg body weight with a standard diet and experimental diets containing 10% full-fat rapeseed and linseed at a 2:1 or 1:1 ratio, with or without vitamin E supplementation. It was found that using both variants of rapeseed and linseed in the fattening diets, the health quality of lamb meat can be improved with regard to decreased carcass and meat fatness and cholesterol content, increased vitamin E content and improved fatty acid profile of meat, mainly through the increased content of PUFA Ω3 and CLA. Vitamin E supplemented at 244 mg/1 kg oilseed diets did not affect the analysed fatness parameters and fatty acid profile but significantly increased the vitamin E content of meat and improved the oxidative stability of fat.