Evaluation of genotype on fatty acid profile and sensory of meat of indigenous Pantaneiro sheep and Texel or Santa Inês crossbred finished on feedlot

The genetic diversity of the local breeds can contribute to the maintenance of traits that are economically important to the genetic improvement of sheep. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype and sex on the fatty acid profile, shear force, and sensory traits of the longissimus lumborum muscle of lambs. Ninety-six lambs with a weaning weight of 15.21 ± 1.25 kg were finished in feedlot until they reached the slaughter weight of 32 kg. Lambs Pantaneiro male (uncastrated) and female, Texel×Pantaneiro, and Santa Inês×Pantaneiro were used in a completely randomized 2×3 factorial design. Pantaneiro lambs had a higher proportion of C14:0 than Texel×Pantaneiro and Santa Inês×Pantaneiro, while Texel×Pantaneiro had a higher proportion of C18:3ω6. Males had a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and ω3. Generally, the meat from all lambs showed high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). There was interaction between genotype and sex for C14:1 and C16:1. Santa Inês×Pantaneiro males had a higher proportion of C14:1than Pantaneiro females and Texel×Pantaneiro males and females. Pantaneiro males had a higher C16:1 than Texel×Pantaneiro males and females. The sex had an effect only for tenderness, with tender meat for females. Based on the fatty acid profile, the genotypes were discriminated with high accuracy, with 88.9%, 90.1% and 100% classified correctly for Pantaneiro, Santa Inês×Pantaneiro, and Texel×Pantaneiro, respectively. The use of Pantaneiro sheep for meat production provides the same fatty acids and sensory traits, and the crossbreeding shows a tendency to reduce the proportion of C14:0, C14:1, and C16:1, and to increase the proportion of C18:3ω6, highlighting the Texel×Pantaneiro lambs.