Science Letters

Meat Quality Characteristics of Goat (Capra hircus) Artificially Infected with Haemonchus contortus and Fed High and Low Protein Diets

Emmanuel M. Atiba 1, 2*, Vitalis W. Temu 2, Milton M. Lado 1, Brian Sayre 3

1 Department of Animal Production, College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Juba, PO Box 82, Juba, South Sudan

2 Agricultural Research Station, College of Agriculture, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806, USA

3 Biology Department, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806, USA

Abstract

A study was conducted to examine the effect of dietary protein supplementation in the presence Haemonchus contortus on carcass composition and meat quality of growing goats. Sixteen bucks were divided into two groups (infected; non-infected) of eight animals each, with half of each group randomly assigned to high or low protein diet. Infected goats were dosed with 600 H. contortus larvae (stage L3) thrice per week for 3 weeks. Results showed that diet did not influence temperature, pH, a* (redness), L* (lightness); b* (yellowness) values, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL), Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) dressing percentage, carcass proportion and proximate analysis of goat meat. However, infection significantly (P<0.05) affected ash, lipid and C18:3n6-gama fatty acid content of goat meat, while diet and infection significantly affected C20:0 fatty acids of goat meat. Moreover, a significant (P<0.05) interaction between dietary protein and infection was observed for eicosadienoic (C20:2cis11, 14) acid in meat lipid from the goats. Surplus protein in the diet seems not to influence the carcass composition and meat quality of goat. Our results demonstrated that locally available protein sources could be used to feed growing meat goats to minimize production cost.

Keywords Goat, high protein, low protein, meat quality characteristics, Haemonchus contortus.

Received September 20, 2016 Accepted November 01, 2016 Abstract Published December 01, 2016 Manuscript Published December 15, 2016

*Corresponding author Emmanuel Atiba E-mail atibaemmanuel@yahoo.com Phone (+211) 922663302