RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Breed or genotype is important to consider for developing appropriate eating quality in lamb. The objectives of this study were to compare physical and chemical parameters and sensory acceptance of longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle from six lamb breed types economically important to the Brazilian sheep-raising chain. RESULTS: No difference (P > 0.05) among samples was found in relation to L(*) , a(*) and b(*) parameters. However, differences were detected in shear force for the LL muscle produced by different breeds (P < 0.05), where animals without definite breed (WDB) showed higher shear force, whereas the lowest levels were observed for breed Hampshire Down, followed by Ile de France and the Dorper/Santa Inês cross-breed (Dorper/SI). In relation to sensory acceptance, no difference (P > 0.05) was detected in aroma attribute for all breed types tested. For the attributes texture, juiciness, flavor and overall quality, differences were detected (P < 0.05), Dorper/SI, Hampshire Down and Suffolk cross breeds received the best scores, while Santa Inês received intermediate evaluations, and Ile de France and WDB were the least accepted. CONCLUSION: Under the conditions evaluated in this study, meat from Dorper/SI and Hampshire Down cross-breeds showed better eating quality, satisfying most consumers.