Effect of season on goat meat composition under field and farm rearing conditions

Abstract

Goat meat is one of the most widely consumed meats in the world. The increasing economic importance of goat production in the world can be attributed to the increase in demand for its meat. This is because goats are widely distributed and well adapted to various environmental conditions and scarce feed resources. They are also able to utilize marginal land to produce highquality animal protein products. The study was conducted at the Central Institute for Research on Goats, Makhdoom, Mathura, under the Nutrition Feed Resources and Products Technology Division, for the study of farm rearing conditions. Field samples were collected from different villages. The average values of moisture percentages in summer, rainy and winter is 75.19±0.15, 75.21±0.13 and 76.49±0.21, respectively. Protein content in summer, rainy and winter is 19.89±0.03, 19.96±0.14 and 19.20±0.12, respectively. Fat percentages in summer, rainy and winter are 3.049±0.03, 2.899±0.02 and 2.661±0.02, respectively and Ash percentages are 1.874±0.05, 1.930±0.03 and 1.655±0.03. The chemical quality of goat meat, in general, was slightly better in goats reared under field conditions than in farm conditions.