PSX-9 Quality parameters of goat meat as influenced by dried distillers grains with solubles.

Abstract Dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), a by-product of ethanol production, contain up to 40% crude protein (CP) on a dry matter (DM) basis and serve as a cost-effective nutrient source of livestock. However, their impact on goat meat (chevon) quality remains underexplored. This study assessed the effects of DDGS-containing diets on the physical, chemical, and fatty acid composition of chevon. Thirty-six male Spanish goats (BW = 24 ± 1.8 kg) were stratified by weight into 4 groups and randomly assigned to one of four isonitrogenous (CP = 17.1 ± 0.1%) and isocaloric (3.2 ± 0.1 Mcal/kg DM) diets: an alfalfa hay-based diet (AL), AL + DDGS (ALD), a sericea lespedeza hay-based diet (SL), and SL + DDGS (SLD). After a 60-d feeding trial, goats were humanely slaughtered following the USDA standard protocols. After 24 h cooler storage (2°C), each carcass was fabricated to obtain 2.5-cm thick loin chops (longissimus muscle, LM) for meat quality analysis. No significant differences were observed in the CIE L* (lightness; 37.7-38.6 ± 0.86), a* (redness; 9.69-10.1 ± 0.48), and b* (yellowness; 8.86-9.78 ± 0.41) values of loin chops from goats feed the experimental diets. LM from goats fed the SL-diet had a higher (P < 0.01; 2.28 vs 1.28 ± 0.20%) ash content than that from goats fed the AL-diet and DDGS containing diets had intermediate values (1.55-1.92 ± 0.20%). However, no differences (P > 0.10) were found in moisture (76.1-76.7 ± 0.56%), protein (20.1-20.7 ± 0.26%), and crude fat (2.19-2.55 ± 0.30%) contents in LM from goats fed the four different diets. Percent metmyoglobin (12.4-15.6 ± 1.17%) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS, 0.16-0.34 ± 0.08 mg MAD/kg) values of LM were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. No significant differences were found in Warner-Bratzler shear values (2.66-3.08 ± 0.21 kg) and cooking losses (17.8-23.8 ± 2.54%) of the chops from goats fed the experimental diets. The predominant fatty acids in LM fat were palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1n9), and linoleic (C18:2n6) acids, with no significant difference across dietary treatments. However, goats fed DDGS-containing diets (ALD or SLD) had higher (P < 0.01) concentrations of a-linolenic (C18:3n3; 0.67 vs 0.46 ± 0.05%) and eicosenoic (C20:1n9; 0.13 vs 0.09 ± 0.01%) acids compared to those not fed DDGS (AL- or SL-diet). Additionally, SLD-fed goats had a higher (P < 0.01) concentration of g-linolenic acid (C18:3n6; 0.91 vs 0.65 ± 0.06%) than AL-fed goats. These findings suggest that incorporating dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) into meat goat diets does not negatively impact chevon quality but may enhance the concentrations of C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fresh goat meats.