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1 Introduction
The increasing consumption of goat meat in developing countries and among ethnic
groups in developed countries is attributed to the increasing proportion of individuals
with high and middle income, the association of goat meat with religious festivals,
smaller carcasses that allow for home slaughter and the low fat content of the meat
(Beserra et al. 2004; McMillin and Brock 2005; Lee et al. 2008). To match supply
with demand requires an increase in production, which can be achieved through
improved feeding and genotypes. Goats deposit most of their fat internally around
the viscera and less on the carcass and can thus provide a good source of lean meat
(Babiker et al. 1990; Dhanda et al. 1999). Health-conscious consumers tend to prefer
low-fat products. It is now known that it is the composition of fatty acids in meat and
not fat content per se that determines the healthfulness of meat to consumers (Horcada
et al. 2012; Warren et al. 2008). In view of this knowledge, the rating of goat meat for
healthfulness should be based on its fatty acid profile and not only on its leanness.
Despite the potential of goats to contribute to the supply of healthy meat, there is
limited research on the quality of goat meat, particularly regarding its fatty acid composition (Banskalieva et al. 2000). Wood et al. (2008) reported variations in the fatty
acid composition of adipose tissue depots of pigs, sheep and cattle and in the factors
affecting the composition. For instance, in order to speed up the growth rate and
reduce the time taken for ruminants to reach slaughter weight, it is now common
practice to finish such animals on energy-rich, concentrate diets. This practice may
affect the composition of fatty acids in meat from ruminants. There is therefore a
need to elucidate the effects of dietary intervention on the fatty acid composition of
goat meat. A thorough study of fatty acid composition of meat animals should analyse the different fat depots to determine any depot-specific variation in fatty acid
composition. This approach is particularly important in developing countries, where
internal as well as subcutaneous fat depots are regularly consumed. Shirouchi et al.
(2014) reported that each fat depot in an animal has unique characteristics and cannot
be taken as representative for all other fat depots in the body. This study therefore
seeks to determine the effect that supplementing the diets of crossbred goats with
various levels of concentrate feed has on the fatty acid composition of minced meat
(MM), muscle longissimus dorsi (LD) and omental fat (OF) in those animals.
2 Materials and Methods
2.1 Animals and Treatments
Thirty-two castrated male SEA and Norwegian crossbred goats (9.5 months old,
17.1 kg LWT) were allotted into eight weight blocks. Dietary treatments were
assigned to each weight block in a completely randomised design. The dietary treatments were T0, where no concentrate supplementation was offered; T33 and T66,
D. E. Mushi and L. O. Eik
1 Introduction
The increasing consumption of goat meat in developing countries and among ethnic
groups in developed countries is attributed to the increasing proportion of individuals
with high and middle income, the association of goat meat with religious festivals,
smaller carcasses that allow for home slaughter and the low fat content of the meat
(Beserra et al. 2004; McMillin and Brock 2005; Lee et al. 2008). To match supply
with demand requires an increase in production, which can be achieved through
improved feeding and genotypes. Goats deposit most of their fat internally around
the viscera and less on the carcass and can thus provide a good source of lean meat
(Babiker et al. 1990; Dhanda et al. 1999). Health-conscious consumers tend to prefer
low-fat products. It is now known that it is the composition of fatty acids in meat and
not fat content per se that determines the healthfulness of meat to consumers (Horcada
et al. 2012; Warren et al. 2008). In view of this knowledge, the rating of goat meat for
healthfulness should be based on its fatty acid profile and not only on its leanness.
Despite the potential of goats to contribute to the supply of healthy meat, there is
limited research on the quality of goat meat, particularly regarding its fatty acid composition (Banskalieva et al. 2000). Wood et al. (2008) reported variations in the fatty
acid composition of adipose tissue depots of pigs, sheep and cattle and in the factors
affecting the composition. For instance, in order to speed up the growth rate and
reduce the time taken for ruminants to reach slaughter weight, it is now common
practice to finish such animals on energy-rich, concentrate diets. This practice may
affect the composition of fatty acids in meat from ruminants. There is therefore a
need to elucidate the effects of dietary intervention on the fatty acid composition of
goat meat. A thorough study of fatty acid composition of meat animals should analyse the different fat depots to determine any depot-specific variation in fatty acid
composition. This approach is particularly important in developing countries, where
internal as well as subcutaneous fat depots are regularly consumed. Shirouchi et al.
(2014) reported that each fat depot in an animal has unique characteristics and cannot
be taken as representative for all other fat depots in the body. This study therefore
seeks to determine the effect that supplementing the diets of crossbred goats with
various levels of concentrate feed has on the fatty acid composition of minced meat
(MM), muscle longissimus dorsi (LD) and omental fat (OF) in those animals.
2 Materials and Methods
2.1 Animals and Treatments
Thirty-two castrated male SEA and Norwegian crossbred goats (9.5 months old,
17.1 kg LWT) were allotted into eight weight blocks. Dietary treatments were
assigned to each weight block in a completely randomised design. The dietary treatments were T0, where no concentrate supplementation was offered; T33 and T66,
D. E. Mushi and L. O. Eik