Relationships among carcass shape, tissue composition, primal cuts and meat quality traits in lambs: A PLS path modeling approach

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the relations among measures of carcass shape, of carcass tissue characterization, and of commercial cuts of hair sheep lambs in order to assess the ability of images obtained through video image analysis (VIA) to consistently describe meat quality. Information on 67 cold carcasses were submitted to the partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) method regarding the manifest variables (MV) that made up the latent variables (LV) of carcass shape (SHAPE), meat quality (QUALI_MEAT), carcass tissue composition (TISSUE_CARCASS), and commercial cut composition (TISSUE_ PRIMALCUTS). Three models that differed according to SHAPE characteristics were evaluated. Model VIA1, with MVs of total projection of carcass and regions, was considered the suitable validated model and was able to predict meat quality characteristics only for the aspects of cooking loss and shear force. It enables establishing categories for carcass classification that directly determine meat juiciness and tenderness from the latent variables considered from carcass shape and description of tissue carcass and primal cuts.