A nutritional study shows Katahdin lamb is much lower in cholesterol than other meat or poultry.
“We were confident the study would be positive. We know it tastes good and we hoped it would be nutritionally positive,” said Duane Rose, chair of the Saskatchewan Katahdin Marketing Group.
The group hired researchers from the University of Saskatchewan to analyze the meat so consumers could see its nutritional content. Katahdin sheep didn’t enter Canada until the early 1990s and about 150 Saskatchewan growers raise the animals, said Rose. Most grocery stories carry New Zealand or domestic lamb of other breeds.
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The study, released this year, found New Zealand lamb is 73 percent higher in cholesterol than Katahdin while domestic lamb is 63 percent higher. Katahdin lamb is also substantially lower in cholesterol than pork, beef, chicken and turkey.
While low cholesterol is important, consumers should pay more attention to saturated fat levels, said Allison Stephen, professor in the college of pharmacy and nutrition at the university.
“Low cholesterol is definitely significant but it shouldn’t be taken out of proportion,” she said.
Both cholesterol and saturated fat can contribute to heart disease. But on a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the greatest danger level, Stephen estimates saturated fat would be at 10 while cholesterol would be three or four.
The Katahdin nutrition study shows that an average cut of lamb is higher in fatty acids than New Zealand and domestic lamb, pork, beef, chicken and turkey. While Katahdin has 12.6 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams, pork has 12.4 while beef has 9.8 and turkey 2.6.
But consumers can choose cuts of Katahdin that are lower in fat, said Rose. He thinks Katahdin lamb is better tasting than New Zealand lamb, which is sometimes refrozen in stores, and he thinks consumers will take that into consideration.
“Instead of comparing fat to cholesterol, consumers might look at all three factors and take a bit of extra fat for lower cholesterol and a better taste.”
The study didn’t say why Katahdin lamb is lower in cholesterol than other meat.
“We don’t know why that is. It begs to be answered,” said Rose, who added the group has no immediate plans for another study.
Stephen said there is plenty of variability in the animal kingdom on how animals retain fat. Explanations may include how and what the animals are fed and how their digestive system works, she said.
Rose said his group’s biggest challenge now is to convince more people to try Katahdin meat, adding it has only been available in Western Canada for the last two years or so.
He and his wife have 30 ewes on their Zehner-area farm and can’t keep up with consumer demand, he said, adding consumers can find Katahdin lamb in specialty meat stores or from the 300 producers across Canada.
