Effect of nutritional factors on biochemical, structural and metabolic characteristics of muscles in ruminants, consequences on dietetic value and sensorial qualities of meat

Ruminant meat is an important source of nutrients and is also of high sensory value. How- ever, the importance and nature of these characteristics depend on ruminant nutrition. The first part of this review is focused on biochemical and dietetic value of this meat. It offers a panel of quanti- tative and qualitative contributions, especially through its fatty acids characteristics. Since saturated and trans-monounsaturated fatty acids are considered as harmful to human health, their amount in mus- cles can be reduced by increasing the proportions of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) absorbed by the animals. On the contrary, some fatty acids (n-6 and n-3 PUFA, conjugated linoleic acid) specifically incorporated in muscle tissues would play a favourable role in the prevention or reduc- tion of major diseases in human (cancers, atherosclerosis, obesity) and therefore be recommended. The second part of this review treats different aspects of the sensorial qualities of meat. Skeletal muscle structure and its biochemical components influence muscle transformation to meat and sen- sorial qualities including tenderness, colour, flavour and juiciness. This paper shows how nutrition can influence, in ruminants, metabolic activity as well as muscle structure and composition, and thereby affect meat quality. muscle / meat / ruminant / nutrition / dietetic value / sensorial quality