ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to investigate
the infl uence of pasture intake on meat quality, lipid
oxidation, and fatty acid composition of geese. One
hundred twenty Dongbei White male geese (a local
breed; BW = 878 ± 13 g; 28 d old) were randomly
and equally divided into 2 treatments with 6 pens of
10 geese per treatment. The 2 treatments consisted of
birds fed ad libitum a corn-based feed. One-half of
the birds had no access to pasture (control) while the
other half had access to an alfalfa (Medicago sativa)-
based pasture (pasture). The study lasted 42 d. Body
weight and feed intake were recorded weekly. At the
end of the study, geese were slaughtered to collect meat
samples. Results showed that pasture intake reduced
subcutaneous fat thickness (P < 0.05) and abdominal
fat yield (P < 0.05) of geese compared with control.
Geese with access to pasture had greater cooking loss
(P < 0.05) and lightness (L*) value (P < 0.05) and
lower pH at 24 h postmortem (pH24; P < 0.05) and
thiobarbituric acid reacting substance values (P < 0.05)
at 0 and 30 min of forced oxidation. Moreover, pasture
intake increased linolenic acid (C18:3n-3; P < 0.05)
and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3; P < 0.05) and
reduced the n-6:n-3 ratio (P < 0.05) in the breast muscle
of geese compare with the control. In conclusion,
pasture intake did not enhance growth performance but
improved carcass characteristics and meat quality and
changed fatty acid composition of geese.