Meat production, quality, and oxidative shelf-life of Haemonchus-parasitised and non-parasitised lambs fed incremental levels of sericea lespedeza substituted for lucerne.

The study evaluated the effects of feeding incremental levels of sericea lespedeza (SL; 0, 62.5, 125, 187.5 and 250 g/kg diet) substituted for lucerne on meat production, quality, and oxidative shelf-life of feedlot lambs infected or non-infected with Haemonchus contortus. There were no diet × infection status, and diet × retail display period effects for all the tested parameters (P > 0.05). Relative to the other diets, the 250 g/kg SL diet decreased (P ≤ 0.05) lamb growth performance and carcass yield. The SL diets experienced less (P ≤ 0.05) meat lipid oxidation than the control diet. Worm infection reduced (P ≤ 0.05) carcass yield and income-over-feed-costs without affecting meat quality (P > 0.05). Feeding SL had no effects on meat physicochemical, fatty acid, colour, and protein shelf-life profiles (P > 0.05). Overall, substituting lucerne with SL up to 187.5 g/kg in lamb feedlot diets has no effects on meat production and quality but enhances lipid stability regardless of infection.