Table 5.
Physical and chemical properties of lamb meat.
| Items | High | Medium | Low | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 min | L* | 49.36 ± 0.35 | 49.62 ± 0.41 | 50.56 ± 0.31 | 0.067 |
| a* | 20.12 ± 0.33 b | 20.51 ± 0.55 b | 21.97 ± 0.38 a | 0.016 * | |
| b* | 16.58 ± 0.28 | 16.54 ± 0.23 | 17.24 ± 0.17 | 0.700 | |
| 24 h | L* | 49.38 ± 0.47 | 49.52 ± 0.56 | 50.98 ± 0.43 | 0.057 |
| a* | 21.67 ± 0.58 b | 22.83 ± 0.74 ab | 24.21 ± 0.61 a | 0.032 * | |
| b* | 20.01 ± 0.35 b | 20.91 ± 0.75 b | 22.73 ± 0.57 a | 0.010 * | |
| pH | 45 min | 6.26 ± 0.03 | 6.26 ± 0.03 | 6.30 ± 0.02 | 0.427 |
| 24 h | 5.38 ± 0.04 | 5.35 ± 0.03 | 5.36 ± 0.02 | 0.648 | |
| Water losing rate % | 24.75 ± 1.18 | 22.28 ± 0.97 | 24.26 ± 0.92 | 0.223 | |
| Drip loss % | 1.24 ± 0.15 | 1.53 ± 0.20 | 1.34 ± 0.13 | 0.427 | |
| Cooked meat percentage % | 58.30 ± 0.46 | 58.51 ± 0.33 | 58.40 ± 0.26 | 0.922 | |
| EMA cm2 | 17.99 ± 0.59 | 18.70 ± 0.46 | 16.75 ± 0.54 | 0.051 | |
| Backfat thickness mm | 8.05 ± 0.59 | 7.87 ± 0.44 | 6.53 ± 0.34 | 0.074 | |
| Shear strength N | 81.03 ± 2.80 | 90.36 ± 5.70 | 78.84 ± 3.19 | 0.133 | |
L* = lightness; a* = redness; b* = yellowness. EMA = eye muscle area. Different lowercase letters on the same line mean a significant difference (p < 0.05); the same or no uppercase letters mean an insignificant difference (p ≥ 0.05). * p < 0.05.