Effect of diets containing n-3 fatty acids on muscle long-chain n-3 fatty acid content in lambs fed low- and medium-quality roughage diets

In two experiments, each with 32 crossbred ([Merino x Border Leicester] x Poll Dorset) wether lambs (26 to 33 kg weight range), animals were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. A mixture of lucerne chaff:oaten chaff was used as a basal diet, offered in different ratios. Animals were allowed to consume on a free-access basis in Exp. 1 or 90% of ad libitum intake in Exp. 2 in order to provide a low- (6.5 MJ ME/d) and medium- (9.5 MJ ME/d) quality basal diet, respectively. Isoenergetic amounts of lipid supplements, fish meal (80 g DM), canola meal (84 g DM), and soy meal (75 g DM) were tested in Exp. 1. In Exp. 2, fish meal (9% DM), unprotected rapeseed (7% DM), and protected canola seed (6% DM) were fed as supplements. At the end of 53-d (Exp. 1) or 46-d (Exp. 2) experimental periods, lambs were slaughtered at a commercial abattoir and at 24 h postmortem longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle was collected for the analysis of fatty acid (FA) composition of structural phospholipid and storage triglyceride fractions. Fish meal diet increased LT muscle long-chain <i>n</i>-3 FA content by 27% (<i>P</i> < 0.02) in Exp. I and 30% (<i>P</i> < 0.001) in Exp. 2 compared with lambs fed the basal diet, but fish meal decreased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) the <i>n</i>-6 FA content only in Exp. 1. Soy meal and protected canola seed diets increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) LT muscle n-6 FA content but did not affect long-chain <i>n</i>-3 FA content. Longissimus thoracis muscle long-chain <i>n</i>-3 FA were mainly deposited in structural phospholipid, rather than in storage triglyceride. In both Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, the ratio of <i>n</i>-6:<i>n</i>-3 FA in LT muscle was lowest (<i>P</i> < 0.01) in lambs fed fish meal supplement compared with all other treatments. Protected canola seed diet increased the ratio of <i>n</i>-6:<i>n</i>-3 FA (<i>P</i> < 0.01) and PUFA:saturated fatty acid (<i>P</i> < 0.03) content from those animals fed the basal, fish meal, and unprotected rapeseed diets in Exp. 2. This was due to an increase in muscle <i>n</i>-6 FA content, mainly linoleic acid, of both phospholipid (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and triglyceride (<i>P</i> < 0.01) fractions and not to an increase in muscle <i>n</i>3 FA content. The results indicate that by feeding fish meal supplement, the essential <i>n</i>-3 FA can be increased while lowering the ratio of <i>n</i>-6:<i>n</i>-3 content in lamb meat to an extent that could affect nutritional value, attractiveness, and the economic value of meat. <br />