Welsh meat board working on ‘tasty’ lamb
AN industry-led project aiming to enhance the quality and consistency of Welsh lamb, has been announced by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC).
The Welsh Lamb Meat Quality Project will assess if how lamb carcases are hung and packaged had an impact on taste and tenderness. Five farmers, including Carmarthenshire neighbours, Gareth Morgan and Ogwyn Thomas, have supplied a total of 120 lambs to the project.
These were picked on carcase, conformation and fat class, with the average weight hitting 20.4kg. They then faced consumer taste panels, which took place in Liverpool and Malvern, investigating whether hanging via the more traditional Achilles tendon method, or a crossleg technique, impacted on eating quality.
It also looked at whether vacuum packing (VAC) or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) made a difference to taste. Lamb chump, loin, and topside samples were presented for consumer and nutritional research after the meat was aged for eight days in VAC, or MAP, to compare the process, then these were cut into steak slices.
The meat was then presented to the consumer panels for tasting, whilst the other half prepared for nutritional laboratory research looking at the meat’s nutritional content.
The consumer panels saw individuals receive a number of meat samples in a controlled environment and scoring the meat for different taste quality attributes. Participants were asked to score each sample on four key factors which made up meat quality, including aroma, flavour, tenderness, and juiciness, before being asked how much they would be willing to pay for each piece.
To date, the trials had helped lamb in Wales retain its reputation for quality, said HCC. Data from tasters in Ludlow, Chester, and Reading showed that 60% were purchasing more lamb, with 50% buying Welsh produce.
Gareth Morgan, who runs the 320-acre Bron-yGlyn Farm, in Carmarthen, said: “To be able to use DNA technology to verify the parentage of the lambs is going to be fascinating, as will seeing which ones develop and fatten quicker to give the best quality meat.”
Using DNA technology, the study investigated whether or not different lamb’s parentage had an effect on eating quality and nutritional values of the meat produced.
“When I was approached to participate it was something I was keen to be involved with as the more research we do to see what affects the quality of Welsh lamb the better,” said the fourth generation farmer, who weighed around 60 lambs every two weeks before 24 were taken as part of the tasting trial.
“It was a time-consuming process, here on the farm, but one that’s worth doing right,” continued Gareth, who has 600 ewes and 75 suckler cows at Bron-y-Glyn.