Abstract:The effects of a plant additive with both medicinal and edible values on the volatile flavor substances and fatty acids of mutton were studied. Six hybrid male lambs of Mongolian sheep and small tail Han sheep were selected and assigned into a high-concentrate diet（CG） group and a high-concentrate diet+plant additive （TG） group，with three lamps in each group. The composition of volatile flavor substances and fatty acids of longissimus dorsi muscle was determined in both groups. The results showed that a total of 54 volatile flavor substances and 29 fatty acids were identified from the mutton samples of both groups. The TG group had higher content of cyclohexanone，2-heptanone，3-hydroxy-2-butanone，and oleic acid and lower content of stearic acid and palmitic acid than the CG group. The smell of mutton in the TG group was richer than that in the CG group. In conclusion，the types and content of volatile flavor substances and the proportion of fatty acids in mutton were improved by the plant additive with both medicinal and edible values.