Breed effect on goat carcass characteristics and meat quality

Context Recently, there has been a growing global and local demand for goat meat. However, various extrinsic and intrinsic factors can influence goat meat production. Aims This study investigated how goat breed affects carcass characteristics and meat-quality parameters. Methods Twenty-four goats, consisting of Boer goats (BG), Rangeland goats (RG), and their first-generation crossbreds (F1), of similar age and sex, and raised on the same property, were weighed and electrically stunned before being exsanguinated. Weight ratios of by-products, including head, trotters, heart, liver, kidney, lungs, testicles, skin, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT), to liveweight were calculated to determine yield. Carcasses were broken into commercial cuts, where each cut underwent deboning, after which lean yield, fat, bone, and the lean-to-fat ratio were assessed. The following six muscles were collected for further analysis: longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL), semimembranosus (SM), biceps femoris (BF), semitendinosus (ST), infraspinatus (IS), and supraspinatus (SS). The measured quality parameters included pH, color, moisture, protein, fat, and ash content. Key results The liveweight, carcass, head, and skin weights were heavier (P < 0.05) in BG than in the other breeds. The yield of the flap cut was significantly higher in BG (3.58%) and RG (3.54%) than in F1 (3.24%). The BG breed had a significantly higher lean-to-bone ratio for the loin than did the F1 breed. However, there was no difference in the total lean-to-bone ratio between BG and RG or between RG and F1. The muscle color of RG had significantly higher a*, b*, and chroma values than did BG for both the BF and SS muscles. Moreover, breed did not differ significantly in moisture or protein content, whereas fat content was significantly higher in the ST and IS muscles from RG than from F1. Conclusions The goat breed significantly influenced carcass yield and some meat-quality attributes. The BG breed exhibited higher meat yield than did other breeds. Implications These findings suggest potential advantages for producers when breeding with more meaty breeds, because breed differences in carcass characteristics and meat-quality traits offer opportunities for targeted breed programs and market differentiation.