- Email: [email protected]
Tenderness evaluation and mineral levels of llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos) meat
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MEAT SCIENCE Meat Science 77 (2007) 599–601 www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci
Tenderness evaluation and mineral levels of llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos) meat P. Polidori a
a,*
, M. Antonini b, D. Torres c, D. Beghelli a, C. Renieri
a
Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali,Universita` di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93, 62024 Matelica (MC), Italy b E.N.E.A. Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060 S. Maria di Galeria (Roma), Italy c DESCO Cooperativa Victor Andre`s, Belau`nde K-7, Umacallo-yanahua, Arequipa, Peru Received 16 March 2007; received in revised form 10 May 2007; accepted 13 May 2007
Abstract Tenderness and mineral levels were determined in the Longissimus thoracis taken from 20 llama and 30 alpaca males reared in Peru and slaughtered at 25 months of age. Mineral contents were determined using an inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer. Tenderness evaluation was determined two and seven days post slaughter using a Warner-Bratzler shear force device. Potassium is the mineral with the highest content, with a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the two species of camelids. The other mineral contents were, in decreasing order, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and calcium, in addition to smaller percentages of zinc and iron. Shear force values determined seven days post slaughter were significantly (P < 0.01) lower in both the species compared with the results obtained two days post slaughter. Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Llama; Alpaca; Minerals; Tenderness
1. Introduction The domesticated camelids of South America, llama and alpaca, are an important food resource for people living in the Andean highlands. In fact the natural habitat of South American camelids is the Altiplano, the high Andean plateau extending through the countries of Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile (Neely, Taylor, Prosser, & Hamlyn, 2001). Llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos), together with the wild South American camelids, guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and vicun˜a (Vicugna vicugna), are the ideal animals for production in that part of the world (Murray, 1989), and represent the most important protein source for the Andean population (Pe´rez et al., 2000). Both llama and alpaca meats are healthy because these animals produce carcasses with low fat (0.49%) and cholesterol *
Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Polidori).
0309-1740/$ - see front matter Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2007.05.011
(51.1 mg/100 g) levels compared with other red meat animals (Cristofanelli, Antonini, Torres, Polidori, & Renieri, 2004). Studies on the meat fatty acid composition of llama showed differences in both saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid levels in meat obtained from animals reared in Argentina (Coates & Ayerza, 2004) compared with animals reared in the Peruvian Andean highlands (Polidori, Renieri, Antonini, Passamonti, & Pucciarelli, 2007). Infact, in the two Argentinian herds the saturated fatty acids ranged between 45% and 46% of total fatty acids, while the monounsaturated fatty acids ranged between 34% and 37% of total fatty acids; in the study conducted in the Peruvian Andean highlands, saturated fatty acids were 50.3% of total fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were 42.5% of total fatty acids. The aim of the present study was to determine the tenderness and the mineral levels of meat obtained from llama and alpaca males slaughtered at the same age and reared in extensive conditions in the Andean highlands of Peru.
600
P. Polidori et al. / Meat Science 77 (2007) 599–601
2. Materials and methods
2.4. Statistical analysis
2.1. Sample collection
Data were analysed by the method of least squares using the general linear model procedures of SAS (2001) and results were expressed as least square means. Significant differences between means were indicated when P < 0.05 or P < 0.01.
The study was performed in Peru, in the experimental station of Arequipa, located 4650 m above sea level in the district of Toccra, and involved 20 llama males, with a mean final body weight of 74 kg, and 30 alpaca males, with a mean final body weight of 49 kg, reared on the tough natural vegetation of the Andean mountains. All the animals at 25 months of age were transported to a beef slaughter house, stunned using a captive bold pistol, slaughtered and then exsanguinated. All carcasses were skinned and eviscerated, then stored in a cold room (1 °C), suspended by their hind legs. After 24 h in the cold room (1 °C), carcasses were halved with a band saw. Muscle Longissimus thoracis samples were collected from the left side of each carcass, between the 12th and the 13th rib, weighing approximately 400 g. Part of the samples, weighing about 100 g, were put in zipped plastic bags and transported within 3 h to the laboratory for the chemical analysis. The remainder of the samples were divided into two and kept in vacuum bags at 1 °C, for two or seven days post slaughter before evaluating their shear force values. 2.2. Chemical analysis Evaluation of mineral levels in meat samples was carried out using a microwave laboratory system type Milestone 1200 MDR, with a maximum temperature of 200 °C in closed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bombs, as described by Kadim et al. (2006). An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES, Perkin–Elmer Model 3300) equipped with a low-flow Gem Cone nebulizer in addition to an ultrasonic nebulizer for the detection of very low concentrations was used. 2.3. Tenderness evaluation Samples were removed from the cold room two days and seven days after slaughter, brought to 4 °C within 1 h and steaks (each 2.5 cm thick) were taken from the mid-region of each sample, and roasted on a metal tray at an oven temperature of 180 °C to an internal temperature of 73 °C (monitored with thermocouples), according to the procedures of Polidori, Lee, Kauffman, and Marsh (1999). Samples were cooled to room temperature (25 °C) for 30 min. From each sample, eight cores (1.3 cm in diameter) were removed, and shear force determinations were obtained with a Warner-Bratzler operating head mounted on an Instron Universal Testing machine using the traditional triangular blade. The samples were cut in a longitudinal direction using a mechanical coring device. Peak or maximum shear force across the fibres was expressed in kg/cm2.
3. Results and discussion The mineral contents of llama and alpaca samples are shown in Table 1. Both llama and alpaca meat contained higher levels of potassium than the other minerals as also found for Omani Arabian camel (Kadim et al., 2006) and Najdi camel (Dawood & Alkanhal, 1995). Potassium, phosphorus and calcium contents in llama meat were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in alpaca meat (Table 1). Zinc and iron contents were not statistically different between the two species of camelids. Specifically, the zinc content was 4.44 ± 0.81 mg/100 g in llama muscle, 3.87 ± 0.93 mg/100 g in alpaca muscle; iron content was 3.26 ± 0.71 mg/100 g in llama muscle, 3.03 ± 0.89 mg/ 100 g in alpaca muscle. The levels of these micro elements, essential in the human diet, were similar to those found in beef (Mulvihill, 2004), and very close to the values found in meat from Najdi camels (Dawood & Alkanhal, 1995). Meat from llama and alpaca is thus comparable in mineral contents to other meats, and can be a rich source of minerals such as sodium and particularly calcium (Keeton & Eddy, 2004). In this study the sodium content was 105.6 ± 33.1 mg/ 100 g in llama muscle and 91.8 ± 22.7 mg/100 g in alpaca muscle; the calcium content was 11.6 ± 3.31 mg/100 g in llama muscle and 8.79 ± 2.21 mg/100 g in alpaca muscle.
Table 1 Mean values (±s.e.) of the mineral contents (mg/100 g) of Longissimus thoracis in llama (n = 20) and alpaca (n = 30) carcasses Mineral
Species
Calcium
Llama Alpaca
Mean 11.6a 8.79b
s.e. 3.31 2.21
Minimum
Magnesium
Llama Alpaca
28.4a 23.1a
7.11 5.43
Potassium
Llama Alpaca
447.1a 411.7b
Phosphorus
Llama Alpaca
Sodium
Llama Alpaca
Zinc
Llama Alpaca
4.44a 3.87a
0.81 0.93
3.01 2.48
6.11 6.08
Iron
Llama Alpaca
3.26a 3.03a
0.71 0.89
1.68 1.77
4.24 4.01
8.21 6.56
Maximum 16.5 10.2
15.5 13.2
34.4 31.6
69.5 80.1
332.0 299.7
683.3 662.9
379.4a 338.1b
67.7 58.9
285.1 286.2
534.5 518.7
105.6a 91.8b
33.1 22.7
68.3 66.5
146.5 128.7
Means for each mineral (in the same column) with different letters were significantly different (P < 0.05).
P. Polidori et al. / Meat Science 77 (2007) 599–601 Table 2 Tenderness evaluation (kg/cm2) of llama and alpaca Longissimus thoracis after two and seven days postmortem storage (means of eight determinations ± s.e.) Mean
s.e.
Minimum
Maximum
Two days postmortem Llama (n = 20) Alpaca (n = 30)
6.56 6.06a
0.73 0.61
5.15 4.87
7.78 7.21
Seven days postmortem Llama (n = 20) Alpaca (n = 30)
4.78b 4.15b
0.36 0.23
4.33 4.12
7.01 6.88
a
Different letters in the column indicate significant differences (P < 0.01).
The mineral contents of llama and alpaca meats varied widely, as shown in Table 1, demonstrating large variability among animals. The shear force values obtained for the cooked muscles are shown in Table 2. Two days after slaughter no significant differences were determined between llama (6.56 ± 0.73 kg/cm2) and alpaca (6.06 ± 0.61 kg/cm2) meat samples. At seven days post slaughter, the shear force values both for alpaca (4.15 ± 0.23 kg/cm2) and llama (4.78 ± 0.23 kg/ cm2) meat samples were significantly (P < 0.01) lower than at two days. Both at two and seven days post slaughter shear force values were slightly higher in llama compared with the alpaca samples. This small difference, around 0.5 kg/cm2, is probably due to the difference in the final live body weights as llama are normally much heavier than alpaca when slaughtered at the same age (Cristofanelli, Antonini, Torres, Polidori, & Renieri, 2005). Moreover, llama are usually used by South American populations to carry loads, while alpaca is mostly used for natural fibre production (Wheeler, 1993), therefore muscle development may be very different between the two species of camelids (Ouali, 1990). An ageing period of seven days is considered necessary to improve tenderness of most red meats (Dransfield, 1994; Koohmaraie, 1996; Thompson, 2002). No data are available regarding tenderness in llama and/or alpaca meat; however the results obtained clearly demonstrate that in South American camelids meat tenderness can be significantly improved after a week in a cold room. 4. Conclusions Although this study provides only limited information about llama and alpaca meat, it does indicate that further experiments must be undertaken to further our knowledge about these alternative red meats. Llama and alpaca meats, like other red meats, contain a high content of potassium. Llama met is not usually stored in South America before consumption, but an appropriate ageing period, as with other red meats, can significantly improve the tenderness of this kind of meat. Alpaca are normally considered good animals for natural fibre production rather than for meat
601
production, but they can be suitable for human consumption, considering both meat mineral contents and its shear force value. Acknowledgements This study has been supported by the Project DECAMA (Development of Camelids Market) funded by the European Union (V Frame-Programme). References Coates, W., & Ayerza, R. (2004). Fatty acid composition of llama muscle and internal fat in two Argentinian herds. Small Ruminant Research, 52, 231–238. Cristofanelli, S., Antonini, M., Torres, D., Polidori, P., & Renieri, C. (2004). Meat and carcass quality from Peruvian llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos). Meat Science, 66, 589–593. Cristofanelli, S., Antonini, M., Torres, D., Polidori, P., & Renieri, C. (2005). Carcass characteristics of peruvian llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos) reared in the Andean highlands. Small Ruminant Research, 58, 219–222. Dawood, A. A., & Alkanhal, M. A. (1995). Nutrient composition of Najdi-camel meat. Meat Science, 39, 71–78. Dransfield, E. (1994). Optimisation of tenderisation, ageing and tenderness. Meat Science, 36, 105–121. Kadim, I. T., Mahgoub, O., Al-Marzooqi, W., Al-Zadjali, S., Annamalai, K., & Mansour, M. H. (2006). Effects of age on composition and quality of muscle Longissimus thoracis of the Omani Arabian camel (Camelus dromedaries). Meat Science, 73, 619–625. Keeton, J. T., & Eddy, S. (2004). Chemical and physical characteristics of meat. In W. K. Jensen, C. Devine, & M. Dikeman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of meat science (pp. 210–218). Oxford: Elsevier. Koohmaraie, M. (1996). Biochemical factors regulating the toughening and tenderization process of meat. Meat Science, 43, S193–S201. Mulvihill, B. (2004). Micronutrients in meat. In W. K. Jensen, C. Devine, & M. Dikeman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of meat science (pp. 618–623). Oxford: Elsevier. Murray, E. F. (1989). Medicine and surgery of South American camelids. IA, USA: Iowa State University Press. Neely, K., Taylor, C., Prosser, O., & Hamlyn, P. F. (2001). Assessment of cooked alpaca and llama meats from the statistical analysis of data collected using an ‘‘electronic nose’’. Meat Science, 58, 53–58. Ouali, A. (1990). Meat tenderization: possible causes and mechanisms. A review. Journal of Muscle Foods, 1, 129–165. Pe´rez, P., Maino, M., Guzma´n, R., Vaquero, A., Ko¨brich, C., & Pokniak, J. (2000). Carcass characteristics of llamas (Lama glama) reared in Central Chile. Small Ruminant Research, 37, 93–97. Polidori, P., Lee, S., Kauffman, R. G., & Marsh, B. B. (1999). Low voltage electrical stimulation of lamb carcasses: Effects on meat quality. Meat Science, 53, 179–182. Polidori, P., Renieri, C., Antonini, M., Passamonti, P., & Pucciarelli, F. (2007). Meat fatty acid composition of llama (Lama glama) reared in the Andean highlands. Meat Science, 75, 356–358. SAS (2001). Statistical Analysis System. SAS/STAT Guide for Personal Computers, version 8 edition, Cary, NC, USA. Thompson, J. (2002). Managing meat tenderness. Meat Science, 62, 295–308. Wheeler, J. (1993). South American camelids: Past, present and future. In Proceedings 1st european symposium on South American camelids (pp. 13–28), 30 September – 1 October 1993, Bonn, Germany.
MEAT SCIENCE Meat Science 77 (2007) 599–601 www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci
Tenderness evaluation and mineral levels of llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos) meat P. Polidori a
a,*
, M. Antonini b, D. Torres c, D. Beghelli a, C. Renieri
a
Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali,Universita` di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93, 62024 Matelica (MC), Italy b E.N.E.A. Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060 S. Maria di Galeria (Roma), Italy c DESCO Cooperativa Victor Andre`s, Belau`nde K-7, Umacallo-yanahua, Arequipa, Peru Received 16 March 2007; received in revised form 10 May 2007; accepted 13 May 2007
Abstract Tenderness and mineral levels were determined in the Longissimus thoracis taken from 20 llama and 30 alpaca males reared in Peru and slaughtered at 25 months of age. Mineral contents were determined using an inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer. Tenderness evaluation was determined two and seven days post slaughter using a Warner-Bratzler shear force device. Potassium is the mineral with the highest content, with a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the two species of camelids. The other mineral contents were, in decreasing order, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and calcium, in addition to smaller percentages of zinc and iron. Shear force values determined seven days post slaughter were significantly (P < 0.01) lower in both the species compared with the results obtained two days post slaughter. Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Llama; Alpaca; Minerals; Tenderness
1. Introduction The domesticated camelids of South America, llama and alpaca, are an important food resource for people living in the Andean highlands. In fact the natural habitat of South American camelids is the Altiplano, the high Andean plateau extending through the countries of Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile (Neely, Taylor, Prosser, & Hamlyn, 2001). Llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos), together with the wild South American camelids, guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and vicun˜a (Vicugna vicugna), are the ideal animals for production in that part of the world (Murray, 1989), and represent the most important protein source for the Andean population (Pe´rez et al., 2000). Both llama and alpaca meats are healthy because these animals produce carcasses with low fat (0.49%) and cholesterol *
Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Polidori).
0309-1740/$ - see front matter Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2007.05.011
(51.1 mg/100 g) levels compared with other red meat animals (Cristofanelli, Antonini, Torres, Polidori, & Renieri, 2004). Studies on the meat fatty acid composition of llama showed differences in both saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid levels in meat obtained from animals reared in Argentina (Coates & Ayerza, 2004) compared with animals reared in the Peruvian Andean highlands (Polidori, Renieri, Antonini, Passamonti, & Pucciarelli, 2007). Infact, in the two Argentinian herds the saturated fatty acids ranged between 45% and 46% of total fatty acids, while the monounsaturated fatty acids ranged between 34% and 37% of total fatty acids; in the study conducted in the Peruvian Andean highlands, saturated fatty acids were 50.3% of total fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were 42.5% of total fatty acids. The aim of the present study was to determine the tenderness and the mineral levels of meat obtained from llama and alpaca males slaughtered at the same age and reared in extensive conditions in the Andean highlands of Peru.
600
P. Polidori et al. / Meat Science 77 (2007) 599–601
2. Materials and methods
2.4. Statistical analysis
2.1. Sample collection
Data were analysed by the method of least squares using the general linear model procedures of SAS (2001) and results were expressed as least square means. Significant differences between means were indicated when P < 0.05 or P < 0.01.
The study was performed in Peru, in the experimental station of Arequipa, located 4650 m above sea level in the district of Toccra, and involved 20 llama males, with a mean final body weight of 74 kg, and 30 alpaca males, with a mean final body weight of 49 kg, reared on the tough natural vegetation of the Andean mountains. All the animals at 25 months of age were transported to a beef slaughter house, stunned using a captive bold pistol, slaughtered and then exsanguinated. All carcasses were skinned and eviscerated, then stored in a cold room (1 °C), suspended by their hind legs. After 24 h in the cold room (1 °C), carcasses were halved with a band saw. Muscle Longissimus thoracis samples were collected from the left side of each carcass, between the 12th and the 13th rib, weighing approximately 400 g. Part of the samples, weighing about 100 g, were put in zipped plastic bags and transported within 3 h to the laboratory for the chemical analysis. The remainder of the samples were divided into two and kept in vacuum bags at 1 °C, for two or seven days post slaughter before evaluating their shear force values. 2.2. Chemical analysis Evaluation of mineral levels in meat samples was carried out using a microwave laboratory system type Milestone 1200 MDR, with a maximum temperature of 200 °C in closed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bombs, as described by Kadim et al. (2006). An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES, Perkin–Elmer Model 3300) equipped with a low-flow Gem Cone nebulizer in addition to an ultrasonic nebulizer for the detection of very low concentrations was used. 2.3. Tenderness evaluation Samples were removed from the cold room two days and seven days after slaughter, brought to 4 °C within 1 h and steaks (each 2.5 cm thick) were taken from the mid-region of each sample, and roasted on a metal tray at an oven temperature of 180 °C to an internal temperature of 73 °C (monitored with thermocouples), according to the procedures of Polidori, Lee, Kauffman, and Marsh (1999). Samples were cooled to room temperature (25 °C) for 30 min. From each sample, eight cores (1.3 cm in diameter) were removed, and shear force determinations were obtained with a Warner-Bratzler operating head mounted on an Instron Universal Testing machine using the traditional triangular blade. The samples were cut in a longitudinal direction using a mechanical coring device. Peak or maximum shear force across the fibres was expressed in kg/cm2.
3. Results and discussion The mineral contents of llama and alpaca samples are shown in Table 1. Both llama and alpaca meat contained higher levels of potassium than the other minerals as also found for Omani Arabian camel (Kadim et al., 2006) and Najdi camel (Dawood & Alkanhal, 1995). Potassium, phosphorus and calcium contents in llama meat were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in alpaca meat (Table 1). Zinc and iron contents were not statistically different between the two species of camelids. Specifically, the zinc content was 4.44 ± 0.81 mg/100 g in llama muscle, 3.87 ± 0.93 mg/100 g in alpaca muscle; iron content was 3.26 ± 0.71 mg/100 g in llama muscle, 3.03 ± 0.89 mg/ 100 g in alpaca muscle. The levels of these micro elements, essential in the human diet, were similar to those found in beef (Mulvihill, 2004), and very close to the values found in meat from Najdi camels (Dawood & Alkanhal, 1995). Meat from llama and alpaca is thus comparable in mineral contents to other meats, and can be a rich source of minerals such as sodium and particularly calcium (Keeton & Eddy, 2004). In this study the sodium content was 105.6 ± 33.1 mg/ 100 g in llama muscle and 91.8 ± 22.7 mg/100 g in alpaca muscle; the calcium content was 11.6 ± 3.31 mg/100 g in llama muscle and 8.79 ± 2.21 mg/100 g in alpaca muscle.
Table 1 Mean values (±s.e.) of the mineral contents (mg/100 g) of Longissimus thoracis in llama (n = 20) and alpaca (n = 30) carcasses Mineral
Species
Calcium
Llama Alpaca
Mean 11.6a 8.79b
s.e. 3.31 2.21
Minimum
Magnesium
Llama Alpaca
28.4a 23.1a
7.11 5.43
Potassium
Llama Alpaca
447.1a 411.7b
Phosphorus
Llama Alpaca
Sodium
Llama Alpaca
Zinc
Llama Alpaca
4.44a 3.87a
0.81 0.93
3.01 2.48
6.11 6.08
Iron
Llama Alpaca
3.26a 3.03a
0.71 0.89
1.68 1.77
4.24 4.01
8.21 6.56
Maximum 16.5 10.2
15.5 13.2
34.4 31.6
69.5 80.1
332.0 299.7
683.3 662.9
379.4a 338.1b
67.7 58.9
285.1 286.2
534.5 518.7
105.6a 91.8b
33.1 22.7
68.3 66.5
146.5 128.7
Means for each mineral (in the same column) with different letters were significantly different (P < 0.05).
P. Polidori et al. / Meat Science 77 (2007) 599–601 Table 2 Tenderness evaluation (kg/cm2) of llama and alpaca Longissimus thoracis after two and seven days postmortem storage (means of eight determinations ± s.e.) Mean
s.e.
Minimum
Maximum
Two days postmortem Llama (n = 20) Alpaca (n = 30)
6.56 6.06a
0.73 0.61
5.15 4.87
7.78 7.21
Seven days postmortem Llama (n = 20) Alpaca (n = 30)
4.78b 4.15b
0.36 0.23
4.33 4.12
7.01 6.88
a
Different letters in the column indicate significant differences (P < 0.01).
The mineral contents of llama and alpaca meats varied widely, as shown in Table 1, demonstrating large variability among animals. The shear force values obtained for the cooked muscles are shown in Table 2. Two days after slaughter no significant differences were determined between llama (6.56 ± 0.73 kg/cm2) and alpaca (6.06 ± 0.61 kg/cm2) meat samples. At seven days post slaughter, the shear force values both for alpaca (4.15 ± 0.23 kg/cm2) and llama (4.78 ± 0.23 kg/ cm2) meat samples were significantly (P < 0.01) lower than at two days. Both at two and seven days post slaughter shear force values were slightly higher in llama compared with the alpaca samples. This small difference, around 0.5 kg/cm2, is probably due to the difference in the final live body weights as llama are normally much heavier than alpaca when slaughtered at the same age (Cristofanelli, Antonini, Torres, Polidori, & Renieri, 2005). Moreover, llama are usually used by South American populations to carry loads, while alpaca is mostly used for natural fibre production (Wheeler, 1993), therefore muscle development may be very different between the two species of camelids (Ouali, 1990). An ageing period of seven days is considered necessary to improve tenderness of most red meats (Dransfield, 1994; Koohmaraie, 1996; Thompson, 2002). No data are available regarding tenderness in llama and/or alpaca meat; however the results obtained clearly demonstrate that in South American camelids meat tenderness can be significantly improved after a week in a cold room. 4. Conclusions Although this study provides only limited information about llama and alpaca meat, it does indicate that further experiments must be undertaken to further our knowledge about these alternative red meats. Llama and alpaca meats, like other red meats, contain a high content of potassium. Llama met is not usually stored in South America before consumption, but an appropriate ageing period, as with other red meats, can significantly improve the tenderness of this kind of meat. Alpaca are normally considered good animals for natural fibre production rather than for meat
601
production, but they can be suitable for human consumption, considering both meat mineral contents and its shear force value. Acknowledgements This study has been supported by the Project DECAMA (Development of Camelids Market) funded by the European Union (V Frame-Programme). References Coates, W., & Ayerza, R. (2004). Fatty acid composition of llama muscle and internal fat in two Argentinian herds. Small Ruminant Research, 52, 231–238. Cristofanelli, S., Antonini, M., Torres, D., Polidori, P., & Renieri, C. (2004). Meat and carcass quality from Peruvian llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos). Meat Science, 66, 589–593. Cristofanelli, S., Antonini, M., Torres, D., Polidori, P., & Renieri, C. (2005). Carcass characteristics of peruvian llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Lama pacos) reared in the Andean highlands. Small Ruminant Research, 58, 219–222. Dawood, A. A., & Alkanhal, M. A. (1995). Nutrient composition of Najdi-camel meat. Meat Science, 39, 71–78. Dransfield, E. (1994). Optimisation of tenderisation, ageing and tenderness. Meat Science, 36, 105–121. Kadim, I. T., Mahgoub, O., Al-Marzooqi, W., Al-Zadjali, S., Annamalai, K., & Mansour, M. H. (2006). Effects of age on composition and quality of muscle Longissimus thoracis of the Omani Arabian camel (Camelus dromedaries). Meat Science, 73, 619–625. Keeton, J. T., & Eddy, S. (2004). Chemical and physical characteristics of meat. In W. K. Jensen, C. Devine, & M. Dikeman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of meat science (pp. 210–218). Oxford: Elsevier. Koohmaraie, M. (1996). Biochemical factors regulating the toughening and tenderization process of meat. Meat Science, 43, S193–S201. Mulvihill, B. (2004). Micronutrients in meat. In W. K. Jensen, C. Devine, & M. Dikeman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of meat science (pp. 618–623). Oxford: Elsevier. Murray, E. F. (1989). Medicine and surgery of South American camelids. IA, USA: Iowa State University Press. Neely, K., Taylor, C., Prosser, O., & Hamlyn, P. F. (2001). Assessment of cooked alpaca and llama meats from the statistical analysis of data collected using an ‘‘electronic nose’’. Meat Science, 58, 53–58. Ouali, A. (1990). Meat tenderization: possible causes and mechanisms. A review. Journal of Muscle Foods, 1, 129–165. Pe´rez, P., Maino, M., Guzma´n, R., Vaquero, A., Ko¨brich, C., & Pokniak, J. (2000). Carcass characteristics of llamas (Lama glama) reared in Central Chile. Small Ruminant Research, 37, 93–97. Polidori, P., Lee, S., Kauffman, R. G., & Marsh, B. B. (1999). Low voltage electrical stimulation of lamb carcasses: Effects on meat quality. Meat Science, 53, 179–182. Polidori, P., Renieri, C., Antonini, M., Passamonti, P., & Pucciarelli, F. (2007). Meat fatty acid composition of llama (Lama glama) reared in the Andean highlands. Meat Science, 75, 356–358. SAS (2001). Statistical Analysis System. SAS/STAT Guide for Personal Computers, version 8 edition, Cary, NC, USA. Thompson, J. (2002). Managing meat tenderness. Meat Science, 62, 295–308. Wheeler, J. (1993). South American camelids: Past, present and future. In Proceedings 1st european symposium on South American camelids (pp. 13–28), 30 September – 1 October 1993, Bonn, Germany.