Colorimetric Values and Pattern Characteristics of Meat from Renowned Local Sheep and Goat Breeds in Inner Mongolia
BAI Yang, HA Liya, AO Qi’er, SU Zhen, DONG Xin, GU Yu, GUO Jun
1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; 2. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Institute of Quality and Standardization, Hohhot 010018, China
Abstract：High-value colorimetric reference data for premium sheep and goat meat in Inner Mongolia remain scarce, and color evaluation still largely relies on subjective textual descriptions and has not yet been digitalized or standardized. To obtain the color parameters of premium sheep and goat meat from eastern and western Inner Mongolia and to elucidate their color characteristics, a total of 1 073 samples of longissimus dorsi, biceps femoris, quadriceps femoris, and rib subcutaneous fat from 14 breeds of sheep and goats in across and around Inner Mongolia were collected within 2 h post-slaughter. Color measurements of freshly cut surfaces were conducted, followed by descriptive statistics and cluster analysis. Results indicated significant differences in color patterns between species (sheep vs. goat), feeding regimes (pasture vs. indoor), cutting orientations (longitudinal vs. transverse), age groups (lamb vs. adult), and postmortem aging stages. Sheep muscles exhibited significantly lower lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness values (b*) than goat muscles (P < 0.01), whereas sheep fat showed higher a* and b* (P < 0.01) than goat fat. Among the tested sheep breeds, Ordos fine-wool sheep had the highest muscle a* and b*, while Hulunbuir grassland short-tailed sheep showed the highest fat b*. Erlangshan white cashmere goats had significantly higher L*, a*, and b* than the other breeds (P < 0.05), followed by Albas cashmere goats, and the fat of Erlangshan white cashmere goats was the whitest. Pasture-raised sheep and goats generally showed higher muscle a* and b* and higher fat L* than indoor-fed counterparts. For both sheep and goats, a* was significantly lower in transverse than in longitudinal muscle cuts (P < 0.01), while no significant differences in colorimetric value were observed between longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris. Lamb exhibited significantly higher L*, a*, and b* than mutton (P < 0.01), and hot-boned muscles of grassland short-tailed sheep had significantly lower L*, a*, and b* than chilled muscles (P < 0.01). Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) demonstrated cluster separation between sheep and goats, between pasture and indoor feeding, and between lamb meat and mutton, with particularly significant differences observed between hot.boned and chilled meat. Fat provided clearer discrimination between sheep and goats and between pasture and indoor feeding compared with muscles, while muscles were more effective for discriminating between goats and sheep. This study provides an important scientific basis for the authentication and standardized quality evaluation of sheep and goat meat produced in Inner Mongolia.
白 扬，哈里亚，敖其尔，苏 贞，董 鑫，谷 雨，郭 军. 内蒙古部分名优绵羊和山羊肉色度值及模式特征[J]. 肉类研究, 2026, 40(7): 39-46.
BAI Yang, HA Liya, AO Qi’er, SU Zhen, DONG Xin, GU Yu, GUO Jun. Colorimetric Values and Pattern Characteristics of Meat from Renowned Local Sheep and Goat Breeds in Inner Mongolia. Meat Research, 2026, 40(7): 39-46.
2026, Vol. 40 
