@conference {42019,
	title = {Effects of dietary herb supplements on sheepmeat flavour},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {67},
	year = {2007},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {413-419},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Wanaka},
	abstract = {Sheepmeat flavour is characterised by distinctive species derived odours and flavour notes derived from the diet termed as {\textquoteleft}pastoral{\textquoteright} for pasture-based farming systems. An exploratory investigation was undertaken to determine if the flavour attributesof sheepmeat could be altered by short-term dosing of sheep with fresh or concentrated herbs. Twelve animals were dosed with 9 different fresh and/or concentrated herbs over 3 days. The animals were slaughtered, sub-sampled, and chemical analyses of levels of flavour compounds in the subcutaneous fat were performed along with sensory evaluation of the meat samples by a trained panel. From the sensory evaluation of the meat samples, the two animals that received the garlic powder supplement were described by the panellists as {\textquoteleft}garlic{\textquoteright},and these samples were significantly less intense in {\textquoteleft}sheepmeat{\textquoteright} (P=0.001) and {\textquoteleft}sweet{\textquoteright} (P=0.007) flavours and also had increased {\textquoteleft}barnyard{\textquoteright} (P=0.011) and {\textquoteleft}foreign{\textquoteright} (P<0.001) flavours. Subcutaneous fat skatole and indole levels for these animals were found to be significantly higher (P<0.001) compared to those grazingryegrass. Other treatments were not significantly different in sensory evaluation. A garlic powder dose response trial was then carried out with 5 sheep receiving between 0 and 200 g/day of powder for two days. After slaughter, subcutaneous fat skatole levels were found to be elevated for animals receiving >50 g/day garlic powder. The results indicate that dosing sheep with garlic powder has a detrimental effect on the animal{\textquoteright}s ability to detoxify and remove skatole from the circulatory system, with consequent detrimental effects on the overall sensory quality of the meat. Thus a herbal dietary supplement to either mask undesirable flavours of sheep meat, or impart desirable flavours, is yet to be discovered.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Fraser K and Lane GA and Kirk MR and Keogh RG and Cummings TL}
}
