Comparison of breed, slaughter weight and castration on fatty acid profiles in the longissimus thoracic muscle from male Boer and Australian feral goats

This study was undertaken to examine the effect of breed, slaughter weight and castration on fatty acid profiles in the longissimus thoracic muscle from Boer and Australian feral goats. Twenty-three male Boer and 21 male Australian feral goats were assigned to three slaughter weights target (5, 30, and 60 kg), and 10 kids from each breed were castrated. All fatty acid compositions determined of the longissimus thoracic muscle from Boer and Australian feral goats were significantly (P≤0.01) affected by slaughter weight. The fatty acid content of the longissimus thoracic muscles from both goat breeds were primarily composed of oleic acid (43.3–53.8%), followed by palmitic acid (22.5–27.9%) and stearic acid (10.7–18.1%). Oleic and palmitic acids increased while stearic acid decreased with an increase in slaughter weight. The percentage of stearic, linoleic and total saturated fatty acids were lower in muscle taken from the castrated animals in both breeds. Compared to the Australian feral bucks, the fatty acid content of longissimus thoracic muscle from the Boer goats contained higher unsaturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, which are considered as desirable fatty acids. Thus the fatty acid profiles of longissimus thoracic muscle from Boer and Australian feral goats were affected by slaughter weight, and castration of bucks changed the fatty acid profiles. For health conscious consumers of goat meat, the longissimus thoracic muscle from Boer goats is healthier, in term of its fatty acids composition than the longissimus thoracic muscle from Australian feral goats. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.