Evaluation of Zackel Lamb Meat Quality with the Aim of Increasing the Conservation Value of the Breed

The objective of the study was to perform and evaluate the advanced phenotypic characterization of endangered Zackel sheep types, especially their productive potential and meat quality traits. Meat quality characteristics (m. longissimus dorsi) were evaluated in lambs of three types of autochthonous Zackel sheep: Sjenica sheep, Lipe sheep and Vlashko Vitoroga sheep, reared in traditional habitats in a sustainable management system. For the evaluation of sensory characteristics of lamb meat, quantitative descriptive analysis was performed according to ISO 6564:1985, i.e. structural intensity scale of seven points. All Zackel meat samples had an overall acceptability, the most favorable being in Sjenica sheep, with detected differences between Sjenica and Vlashko Vitoroga sheep (p