Influence of Crossbreeding on the Quality and Nutritional Values of Goat Meat

Abstract

The goat meat industry has the potential to grow because of the increasing global population and health benefits of this meat type. However, to expand the goat meat market, it is necessary to improve meat yield and quality. In this study, we investigated the effects of crossbreeding Korean native goats (KNG) with Boer goats on meat quality and nutritional value. The KNG (n=16) and crossbred goats (CG; n=16) raised under identical conditions were used. After slaughter 24 h, the longissimus dorsi muscles were collected and analyzed for meat quality indicators, fatty acids, free amino acids (FAA), minerals, and vitamins. The CG meat had lower shear force and was lighter and redder in color than the KNG meat (p<0.05). KNG meat contained higher total polyunsaturated fatty acid, FAA, vitamin E, and trace minerals (e.g., Fe and Cu) than CG meat (p<0.05). Overall, crossbreeding affected the chemical and nutritional composition, which subsequently determined the quality, properties, and nutritional value of goat meat. This study provides valuable information on the nutritional value of goat meat, thereby promoting the consumption and trading of this meat type.

Keywords: goat breed; meat quality; nutritional composition.

Fig. 1.. Representative images of Korean native black goat (A) and crossbred goat (B), and longissimus dorsi muscles used for meat quality and nutritional value analysis.

Fig. 2.. Cooking loss, shear force and pH values of goat longissimus dorsi muscles by breed.

^a,b Different letters indicate a significant difference (p<0.05). CG, crossbred goat; KNG, Korean native black goat.

Fig. 3.. Principal component (PC) analysis for the variables (selected meat quality traits and nutritional composition) between two breeds.

The projection of variables and animal breed (KNG, Korean native black goat; CG, crossbred goat) in plane defined by the PC1 and PC2.