Morfologia e qualidade da carcaça de cabritos naturalizados do Alto Camaquã abatidos em diferentes idades

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological characteristics and quality of fourteen 8 - 9 month old and twenty-three 11-12 month-old carcasses of castrated Angora goats from the Alto Camaquã geographical area. After slaughter, evaluations and descriptive measurements of the carcasses were performed, which were then divided lengthwise into two halves. Afterwards, six cuts were obtained: foreleg, hind leg, fluctuating ribs, fixed ribs, neck and chest. The following differences of age at slaughter on carcass characteristics were analyzed: hot carcass yield, marketable yield, cooling losses, carcass and leg length, and leg and chest depth. There was an interactive effect between age at slaughter and carcass cuts: muscle:fat ratio, muscle percentage, total fat, intermuscular fat and subcutaneous fat, and weight and percentage of others. An effect between ages, independently of cut, was found for the variables: bone, muscle, total cut weight, muscle:bone ratio and bone percentage. For the variables bone, muscle, total fat, intermuscular fat, subcutaneous fat, muscle: bone ratio and bone percentage, an effect between cuts, independently of age, was found. The analysis of allometric coefficients revealed that regional components have equal development patterns. There was relative early development of bone and muscle and other tissues in the foreleg, and subcutaneous fat showed early growth at 8-9 months of age and isogonic growth at 11-12 months of age. Goats aged 8-9 months showed isogonic growth of all leg tissues and, as they grew older, bone, muscle, total fat and other tissues showed early growth. Allometric coefficients of fixed rib tissues, as well as allometric coefficients of fluctuating rib tissues at 8-9 months of age, showed isogonic growth for most variables. At 11-12 months, all fluctuating ribs tissues showed early growth. At 8-9 months of age all chest tissues showed isogonic growth and, as they grew older, bone, muscle, intermuscular fat, total fat and other tissues showed negative heterogonic growth. Naturalized goats from the "Alto Camaquã" area raised in an extensive production system slaughtered at 8-9 months and at 11-12 months of age showed similar carcass quality. Goat carcasses at both ages (8-9 months and 11-12 months) presented the same growth and development pattern in different anatomical regions. The foreleg and hind leg are important carcass cuts.