Chemical composition and quality characteristics of chevon from goats fed three different post-weaning diets

Thirty-six Boer×Spanish intact male goats (BW = 18±0.8 kg; age 4 months) were used to determine the effects of dietary treatments on the chemical composition and quality characteristics of goat meat (chevon). Animals were allotted to three treatment groups (n = 12/treatment) with three pens for each treatment. Each pen of four goats was fed one of three dietary treatments for 90 d: (1) a hay diet, consisting of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay alone (H); (2) a 18% CP concentrate diet, consisting predominantly alfalfa meal and yellow corn (C); or (3) a combined diet, consisting of the hay diet for the first 45-d, followed by the concentrate diet (HC). At the end of the feeding trial, goats were slaughtered and Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle and subcutaneous fat samples were obtained from each carcass to determine chemical and fatty acid compositions. Loin chops were used to evaluate color (CIE L* a* b*), cooking loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values. The LD muscle from goats fed the H diet contained higher (P < 0.05) moisture (77.1 vs. 74.7%), but a lower (P < 0.05) total lipid (1.32 vs. 2.67%) than those from goats fed the C diet. However, the percentages of moisture and total lipid in the LD muscle from HC group were not statistically different from those fed either the H or C group. Compared with goats fed the H diet, goats fed the C diet had: (1) a higher (P < 0.05) level of oleic acid (C18:1n9; 43.9 vs. 38.7%), but a lower (P < 0.05) level of linolenic acid (C18:3n3; 0.12 vs. 0.46%) in the LD muscle lipid; (2) a higher (P < 0.05) level of linoleic acid (C18:2n6; 4.27 vs. 3.11%), but lower (P < 0.05) levels of myristic acid (C14:0) and C18:3n3 (0.44 vs. 0.76%) in the subcutaneous fat. The L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) values of loin chops from goats fed the H diet were higher (P < 0.05) than those fed the C diet; however, a* values (redness) were not statistically different among the dietary treatments. The WBSF values and cooking losses were not influenced by the dietary treatments. The results indicated that chevon from the H diet had healthier nutritional properties compared with that from the C diet; however, the meat qualities were not different among the treatment groups. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.