Mature sheep needs cut-specific processing, not a blanket tenderness promise

The reffiSchaf project has published practical recommendations for creating value from whole cuts of mature sheep in foodservice. Its starting point is technological and sensory: meat from older animals often has a firmer texture because of more highly cross-linked collagen fibres. Rather than reducing this raw material to low-value uses, the project proposes selecting the pre-treatment method according to the cut and its culinary purpose.

The recommendations highlight two fermentation-based routes. Enzymatic treatments can support tenderness, while lactic fermentation can contribute to juiciness, water-holding capacity and a softer expression of the characteristic sheep-meat flavour. This is not an automatic solution. Time, temperature, salt, hygiene, the culture used and the subsequent cooking method all need to be set and controlled so that the process adds quality without creating variability that a professional kitchen cannot absorb.

For butcheries, restaurants and direct marketers, the opportunity lies in translating the whole animal into a portfolio of uses. A cut should not be classified only as tender or tough: its structure, size, intended dish, suitability for marination or fermentation, and final cooking method all matter. Cutting therefore stops being the final production step and becomes the beginning of product design.

The publication does not replace in-house safety or shelf-life validation. It does, however, set a clear direction: value in mature sheep is created when raw material, pre-treatment, recipe, portioning and sales narrative are developed together. Full-carcass sustainability also depends on a result that is repeatable and sensorially convincing.