Meat of South American camelids - Sensory quality and nutritional composition

Teodora Popova, Leslie Tejeda, J. Mauricio Peñarrieta, Melanie A. Smith, Russell D. Bush, David L. Hopkins

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Meat contains a range of nutrients in a highly bioavailable form and when meat is excluded from the diet, without being replaced with suitable alternatives, nutrient deficiencies may occur. For this reason, it is very important to extend our knowledge of nutrients in alternative red meats, such as that provided from the South American camelids- llama and alpaca. This review summarises the current information on the nutritional and sensory parameters of llama and alpaca meat and factors affecting quality. South American camelids produce lean carcases, with an uneven fat distribution across the carcase. Llama and alpaca meat quality traits are mostly influenced by animal nutrition, animal age and processing methods. A feeding strategy based on pasture and hay supplement of barley and alfalfa, and processing younger animals (18 months) has improved the fatty acid composition respectively in llama and alpaca meat, whereas meat colour and tenderness are influenced by processing treatments including electrical stimulation, tenderstretching and enzymatic infusion.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108285
JournalMeat Science
Volume171
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020

Keywords

  • Alpaca (Vicugna pacos)
  • Llama (Lama glama)
  • Meat
  • Nutrients
  • Sensory traits

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