A Brief Overview of Factors Affecting Lamb Flavor Prepared for the Lamb Industry Roadmap Product Characteristics Team

Meat produced by sheep of various ages has a distinctive, species-specific aroma and flavor profile that some consumers find objectionable, particularly when some of the characteristic flavor notes are overly intense. Because these flavor notes intensify as animals become older, the term “mutton flavor” is commonly used to describe the strong, objectionable flavor that can be present in ovine meat, regardless of the age of the animal from which the meat originated (Sink and Caporaso, 1977). Another distinctive flavor that can negatively affect consumer acceptance of lamb products has been identified in cooked meat of pasture-finished lambs and characterized as “pastoral flavor” (Young et al., 2003).