The effect of oral or respiratory exposure to limonene on goat kid performance and meat quality

Pasture contains a lot of terpenes, able to pass throughout oral assumption and inhalation into meat. The aim of this paper was to verify if limonene accumulates in meat after oral or respiratory exposure and to assess its effects on animal oxidative status and meat quality. Thirty-six goat kids were involved and assigned for 1 week to three treatment groups: control group (CG); an oral group (OG), where limonene was administered directly into the mouth (drenched); and a respiratory group (RG), in which limonene was administered via inhalation. The meat limonene concentration for the OG was the highest (P < 0.01), although RG showed the highest rate of transfer (P < 0.001). Limonene gives the possibility to delay lipid oxidative processes, reducing discoloration and rancidity in meat. However, the respiration route seems to be able to guarantee a greater limonene transfer into meat compared to the oral one.