Meat and carcass abstracts
Carcass characteristics of pasture-raised meat goats
S. G. Schoenian
M.B. Bennett
E.N. Escobar
D. G. Gordon
J. W. Semler
M.S. Updike
One of the goals of the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test is to evaluate and compare carcass characteristics of meat goats consuming a pasture-only diet. From the 2009 and 2010 tests, nineteen mostly Kiko bucks (29.2 ±10.8 kg) were selected for harvest and deboning at LambCo LLC, a USDA/custom abattoir in New Windsor, Maryland. The following data were collected on each buck: live weight (LW), hot carcass weight (HCW), cold carcass weight (CCW), body wall thickness (BWT), kidney and heart fat weight (KH), ultrasound rib eye area (U-REA), actual rib eye area (A-REA), fat weight (F), bone weight (B), and lean weight (L). Dressing percentages and carcass percentages of kidney and heart fat (%KH), fat (%F), bone (%B), and lean (%L) were calculated, along with overall carcass yields (CY). Regression analysis showed U-REA and BWT to be the best indicators of percent lean in a goat carcass. The equation to predict percent lean was determined to be 0.47 + 0.07 U-REA + 0.1 BWT (r2 =0.78). The equation to predict total pounds of meat in a goat carcass was determined to be -0.22 + 0.18 LW + 4.93 U-REA (r2 = 0.69). The lighter live and carcass weights and lower fat measurements of the goats harvested in 2010 were attributed to the extreme drought conditions. The higher dressing percentages of the goats harvested in 2010 can be explained by the inclusion of the organ meats in the carcasses.
This abstract was presented at the Annual meeting of the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science in Corpus Christi, Texas in February 2011.
Nutritional and breed effects on carcass traits of Katahdin crossbred lambs
D.J. Jackson
N.C. Whitley
J.W. Lemaster
S. Schoenian
At weaning, 43 Suffolk-(SK), Texel-(TK), and Dorper-(DK) sired Katahdin crossbred lambs were randomly removed from pasture and placed in a feedlot (GF), while 125 TK, SK, and DK lambs remained on pasture (PF) to determine the effects of feeding regime on carcass traits. At an average BCS of 2.8 (1-5 scale with 1=emaciated and 5=obese), 5 lambs/breed from both GF (134 ± 1.2d of age) and PF (153 ± 1.5d of age) were slaughtered to collect carcass data. The PF lambs had greater (P < 0.05) transport BW loss (-1.9 vs -1.0 ± 0.1 kg) and greater (P < 0.01) empty digestive tract weight (EDT; 5.3 vs 3. 6± 0.1kg), dressing percentage (50.7 vs 46.7 ± 0.7%), LEA (17.9 vs 16.0 ± 0.5 cm2, leg circumference (85.5 vs 77.5 ± 1.4cm), carcass length (103 vs 98.2 ± 0.8cm) and retail cut weights (14.5 vs 13.2 ± 0.3 kg) compared to GF lambs. DK lambs had the lowest (P < 0.01) pluck and retail weights (1.8 ± 0.1 and 13.1 ± 0.3kg, respectively) when compared to SK (2.1 ± 0.1 and 14.2 ± 0.3 kg, respectively) and TK (2.0 ± 0.1 and 14.3 ± 0.3kg, respectively) lambs. EDT, hot and cold carcass weights were lower (P < 0.05) in DK lambs (4.3 ± 0.1, 19.0 ± 0.5, and 18.7 ± 0.4 kg, respectively) than SK lambs (4.8 ± 0.1, 20.8 ± 0.5, and 20.3 ± 0.4kg, respectively) while TK lambs (4.4 ± 0.1, 20.3 ± 0.5, and 19.9 ± 0.4 kg, respectively) were intermediate. SK lambs had longer (P < 0.05; 107 ± 0.8cm) carcasses than TK (97.8 ± 0.8cm) and DK (97.1 ± 0.8cm) lambs. DK lambs (3.6 ± 0.3 mm) had greater (P < 0.05) back fat than TK lambs (2.4 ± 0.3 mm) while SK lambs (3.0 ± 0.3 mm) were intermediate. LEA was largest (P < 0.01) in TK (18.3 ± 0.65 cm2) lambs compared to both DK (16.3 ± 0.65 cm2) and SK lambs (16.4 ± 0.65 cm2). In addition, the carcasses from TK lambs received the highest (P < 0.05) quality grades and CIE L* and hue angle values and SK lambs had the highest (P < 0.05) mechanical shear force values. Overall, PF lambs had more muscle mass than their GF counterparts when slaughtered at a similar BCS, and sire breed had differential effects on carcass traits.
This abstract was presented at the Annual meeting of the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science in Mobile, Alabama in February 2007.