The influence of goat genotype on the production of Capretto and Chevon carcasses. 3. Dissected carcass composition

The dissected composition from left sides of the carcasses obtained from 50 buck kids from five goat genotypes (10 kids/genotype), Beer x Angora (BA), Beer x Saanen (BS), Feral x Feral (FF), Saanen x Angora (SA) and Saanen x Feral (SF), was compared at two age groups. The muscle content of various primal cuts varied between 53 and 73% for Capretto and Chevon groups, with minor differences between genotypes. SA kids had significantly higher separable carcass fat compared to BS and SF for the Capretto group, while Chevon carcasses from BA and SF deposited more carcass fat than FF. The bone content (19-21%) of the carcass side did not differ significantly between genotypes for the Chevon group. The dissected carcass components (muscle, fat and bone) were significantly correlated with those components of most of the individual cuts. The percentage carcass muscle and fat increased and bone content decreased significantly with age. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.