Consumers are demanding leaner cuts of meat - no surprise when the links between saturated animal fats and coronary heart disease, obesity and hypertension are well publicised.
Given the similar level of awareness of the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids there is a strong research interest in trying to enhance omega-3s in meat, milk and eggs for human consumption with alternative sources to fish.
"There have been attempts to alter the diets of sheep and cattle to boost unsaturated fatty acids and reduce saturated fats but these resulted in relatively small changes," said the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Dr Aduli Malau-Aduli.
"Adding fish oil to animal feed can have the effect of making red meat smell 'fishy' and give it a strange taste," he said.
"But omega-3 fatty acids are also found in abundance in canola, lupin and flaxseed."
These can be incorporated into a ruminant's diet without any detrimental effects on the wellbeing of the animals or on the resulting meat.
Sheep are a multi-purpose livestock providing meat, wool and milk for the growing sheep–cheese industry. TIA's omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids research with sheep is aimed at understanding the physiological and growth responses of weaner prime lambs of diverse genetics to canola meal, cracked lupins, canola oil and Spirulina as a supplement the pasture-based production prevalent in Tasmania.
"We are also trying to unravel the impact of different levels of supplementation with omega-3s on sheep health indicators, meat quality and consumer preferences."
Research into nutrition-genetics interaction to assist sheep farmers in making best practice decisions for a sustainable and profitable enterprise is being investigated.
Preliminary indications are pointing to positive influences on intramuscular fat content (marbling), melting point, consumer preferences and a large variation in the fatty acid compositions of the muscle, adipose, kidney, liver and heart tissues.
The prospect of meat that tastes better and is also healthier is tantalisingly close. Dr Malau-Aduli and his team - which comprises five PhD students, one Master's and one Honours student – are now working on the next phase of this research, working with TIA's Dairy Centre in North-West Tasmania on similar research with dairy cows.