The finding followed more than 3200 consumer taste tests in NZ and the United States last year and showed factors such as breed, gender, pasture, growth rates, fat cover, marbling, confirmation and locality had a minor effect on eating quality.
The research was part of a FarmIQ Primary Growth Partnership programme in conjunction with Silver Fern Farms, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Landcorp.
The study’s findings were available to the whole industry.
SFF sales manager Grant Howie said of more significance to taste was selecting the right cut, correctly ageing the meat and matching the cut to the cooking method.
Most of the gain in eating quality was achieved in the first seven days of ageing but there were benefits from days seven to about 28.
Different muscles aged better than others but researchers found an overall positive trend across all cuts.
Other factors that strongly influenced eating quality were low pH, controlled electrical stimulation and a compelling brand story.
Unlike beef, where animals were older when slaughtered, Howie said the age at slaughter meant there was less opportunity for stock management to influence the taste of lamb.
However, ram breeders could include heritable lamb eating traits such as tenderness, low pH and marbling in their breeding programmes by using AgResearch developed SNP chip technology.
“It is in everyone’s interest that the current high eating quality is maintained as breeders also look for other genetic improvement traits such as growth rates, disease resistance and yield.”
The chips helped breeders find DNA markers to aid breeding decisions.
Recent debate showed opinions differed about the flavour of lamb, with claims there was ram taint late in the season but Howie said research showed lamb gender did not have a consistent or significant impact.
“Given the closeness in eating quality preference between rams, cryptorchids, wethers and ewes it would make little sense to exclude any from a premium value lamb offering,” the researchers said.
“Through our consumer panel research very few consumers were sensitive to any ram-lamb effect.”
The trial involved 4739 lambs from 16 properties nationwide, which provided 23,000 samples of loin, rump, topside and knuckle.
They were subjected to a spread of chilled ageing and fed to 1800 consumers in NZ and 1440 in the US.
Howie said the research confirmed other studies about the positive impact on the eating experience of having a branded story behind the meat, which released endorphins and dopamine in the brain.
The lamb research followed a similar test in beef which led SFF in 2012 to develop an eating quality grading system for beef.
SFF planned to use the research to launch retail branded products in key global markets, starting with China then the US.
Branded packs had already been launched in Germany and Howie said branded packs of hot-pot rolls sliced from lamb flaps along with beef would be launched in Chinese supermarkets by the end of the year.
Chief executive Dean Hamilton said the research showed there was little opportunity to differentiate lamb by eating quality except by growing volumes of chilled product.
Five years ago less than 20% of SFF product was chilled, now it was more than 25%.
SFF was also trialling aged frozen retail meat in Germany.
