biostudies-literatureYang Qthe National Key R&D Program of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China4046https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12692676biostudies-literatureUnknown14(23)This study aims to elucidate the quality differences among Tan lamb from three major production regions and investigate the influence and regulation of lipids on regional sheep meat quality. The Ningxia Tan lamb exhibited higher pH values, lower lightness and yellowness, better water-holding capacity and more polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to the other regions. GC-IMS revealed different flavor profiles of Tan lamb from different regions. A total of 1080 lipids across 41 lipid subclasses were identified, with 10 lipid molecules, including PC (16:0_16:1), Carnitine C3:0 and Carnitine C5:1, serving as key differentiators among the regions, as determined by the Random Forest method. Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between acyl lipid characteristics and pH, lightness andFoods (Basel, Switzerland)Random Forest-Assisted Widely Targeted Lipidomic Reveals Differences in Tan Lamb Meat Quality in Different Regions.PMC126926762024BBF02022Xu LXu MZheng XZhang DLi SChen LGu MYang QLiu CfalseRandom Forest-Assisted Widely Targeted Lipidomic Reveals Differences in Tan Lamb Meat Quality in Different Regions.This study aims to elucidate the quality differences among Tan lamb from three major production regions and investigate the influence and regulation of lipids on regional sheep meat quality. The Ningxia Tan lamb exhibited higher pH values, lower lightness and yellowness, better water-holding capacity and more polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to the other regions. GC-IMS revealed different flavor profiles of Tan lamb from different regions. A total of 1080 lipids across 41 lipid subclasses were identified, with 10 lipid molecules, including PC (16:0_16:1), Carnitine C3:0 and Carnitine C5:1, serving as key differentiators among the regions, as determined by the Random Forest method. Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between acyl lipid characteristics and pH, lightness and2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Nov2026-05-26T11:01:49.364Z2026-05-24T03:11:50.264ZS-EPMC126926764137598410.3390/foods14234046