BOOSTING the heart smart properties of lamb may be as simple as supplementing the animal's diet with a small amount of canola or rice bran oil, according to Tasmanian researchers.
Ongoing work at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) has been assessing the impact on meat, from feeding sheep pellets with as little as five per cent of polyunsaturated oils.
And Victorian and Tasmanian lotfeeders said they would be open to the idea of including oils in sheep feed.
TIA associate professor in Animal Science and Genetics, Aduli Malau-Aduli, found feeding sheep supplements like canola, rice bran and flax seed oil produced lamb that was both healthier and tastier.
"The results are very promising and we have found that not only does the meat contain high enough levels of omega-3 fatty acids to deliver health benefits, but that the bad fats, or saturated fats, are also significantly lower in the meat," Associate Professor Malau-Aduli said.
"Saturated fats are detrimental to human health, hence the increasing interest in the search for meat with high unsaturated fat content and in particular, omega-3 fatty acids that can help combat heart disease and arthritis," Professor Malua-Aduli said.
Victorian and Tasmanian feedlotters were open to the idea of including oils in sheep feed.
Rick Edgar, who runs a feedlot at West Cuyuac, Merino Stud Nareen, said he had heard about the trial.
"I think the eating quality is the big challenge - but I think I would be interested," Mr Edgar said.
"Would the cost be that big - canola oil in the mix with the pellets ?
"I don't think that would be a major hurdle - five pc is not a massive change, I think it is an easily achieved option."
Georgie Burbury, Eastfield, Cressy (Tas) said a feedlot would be the place to try supplementary feeding, if there was a market for the lamb.
She said TIA had approached Eastfield, which turned off 4000 lambs a year, to be part of the trial, but it did not fit into their system at the time.
"It comes down to ration cost and the price of the product at the end.
"If there is a price for the product, at the other end, then it's a controlled environment, where you can tinker with the ration," Ms Burbury said.
Professor Malua-Aduli said the research demonstrated meat from sheep fed polyunsaturated oil supplements contained enough omega-3 to be officially considered a source of dietary omega-3.
The meat contained at least 30mg of omega-3 per 100g of product.
"Taste tests results have also been promising with the lamb fed with canola supplements showing superior eating qualities," Associate Professor Malau-Aduli said.
Research team member, TIA PhD student Aaron Flakemore's said his goal was to see supermarket lamb with a Heart Foundation Tick sticker.
"There is quite a bit of diversity between sheep - some sheep convert the oil to unsaturated fats better than others," Mr Flakemore said.
"So there is potential to start selecting and breeding sheep that are better at making healthy fats."
Associate Professor Malau-Aduli will deliver a free public talk in Hobart as part of the University of Tasmania's Research Week at 5.30pm on Wednesday, September 2 at the Brunswick Hotel.
The event will include lamb canapes for guests.
