Substituting monensin in lamb finisher diets with a Citral and Linalool blend on meat physicochemical properties, shelf-display stability and fatty acid composition

Abstract

Essential oils are aromatic volatile compounds used in ruminant diets to replace ionophores, specifically for their antimicrobial and antioxidative properties. This study investigated the effects of substituting monensin in lamb finisher diets with a blend of essential oils containing citral and linalool on meat physicochemical properties, shelf-display stability and fatty acid composition. Forty-eight Merino wether lambs (30.15 ±2.43 kg) were randomly allocated to one of 3 treatment groups: (1) control (no supplement), (2) Monensin (20 ppm or 0.021 g/ lamb/ day), and (3) a blend of essential oil compounds containing citral and linalool (1 g/ lamb/ day) and slaughtered after 42 days in the feedlot. Post chilling (24 hours post-slaughter), the entire left LTL was collected for meat analyses. The addition of an essential oil compound and monensin both gave better colour stability results (higher redness and lower hue angle) over an extended shelf period than control samples. A tendency towards lower total fatty acid content, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids was found for essential oil and monensin treatments, which was not expected. More research is required to determine the precise mechanism of action of the specific essential oils and establish optimal (probably higher) level of application in the diet.