Suitability of Norwegian short-tail lambs, Norwegian dairy goats and Cashmere goats for meat production - Carcass, meat, chemical and sensory characteristics

Six female Norwegian lambs (29 kg body weight, 8 months old), six castrated Norwegian goats (27 kg body weight, 10 months old) and six castrated Cashmere goats (20 kg body weight, 8 months old) were used to study the relative potential of Norwegian lambs, Norwegian goats and Cashmere goats for meat production. Animals were fattened on silage and commercial concentrate before slaughter. Lamb meat had 4 % lower (P < 0.05) proteins and 13% higher (P < 0.05) fat content than goat meats. Moreover, m. longissimus dorsi samples from lambs were less red (a^∗) (P < 0.05) and had lower colour intensity (C) and wider hue angle (H) than that from goats. Meat from lambs and Cashmere goats had higher proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFA) (P < 0.001), especially stearic acid and lower ones for total unsaturated fatty acids (TUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) than the meat from Norwegian goats. Sensory panellists scored lamb meat fattier, juicier and more tender than goat meats. Meat from Cashmere goats scored highest (P < 0.05) in whiteness, and lowest (P < 0.05) in both colour tone and colour intensity. It is concluded that, since C18:0 was the main contributor of SFA in meat from Norwegian lamb and Cashmere goats, meats from them are nutritionally comparable to that from Norwegian goats. However, the higher proportion of SFA in Norwegian lambs and Cashmere goats may increase hardness of fat and being easily solidified upon cooling, may influence meat palatability.     

Meat goat kids finished on alfalfa,red clover or orchardgrass pastures: Carcass merit and meat quality

This experiment was conducted in 2005–2007 to evaluate carcass and chevon (goat meat) quality parameters when meat-goat kids (n = 72) were finished on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L; ALF); red clover (Trifolium pratense L.; RCG); or orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.; OGR) pastures. Carcass conformation score was greater (P = 0.08) when meat-goat kids were finished on ALF compared to OGR with RCG intermediate. Chevon meat samples from goats finished on the three pasture treatments did not differ in ash, intramuscular fat, or crude protein content or in concentrations of omega6 and omega3 fatty acids, or the omega6 to omega3 ratio. Goats finished on OGR had higher (P < 0.001) 18:1 trans-11 fatty acids (FA) compared to ALF or RCG. Overall, meat-goat kids finished on ALF, RCG, or ORG produced desirable carcass weights for most niche markets in the USA. Chevon is a low-fat meat option with high desirable fatty acids for human diets.     

转基因羊奶表达重组人溶菌酶的急性毒性及 过敏性研究

利用乳腺生物反应器生产重组人溶菌酶蛋白,可以解决从天然材料中提取人溶菌酶来源稀少,质量难以保证等问题。为了保证食用安全,本文对转基因羊奶表达的重组人溶菌酶进行了急性毒性和致敏性评价。小鼠经口急性毒性试验结果显示,重组人溶菌酶对小鼠最大耐受剂量＞5000 mg/kg.BW,属实际无毒。体外模拟胃肠道消化试验结果显示,重组人溶菌酶在模拟胃液中2-30min内全部消化;在模拟肠液中15s－2min内全部消化;体外热稳定性试验结果显示,重组人溶菌酶在100℃加热60 min不会降解。综上所述,该重组人溶菌酶的毒性与过敏性风险较低,可以安全应用于食品行业。     

The contribution of chevon from Africa to global meat production

Africa's goat population increased by 75% between 1980 and 2005 and constitutes 30% of the world goat population. Although Africa produces about 20% of the world's chevon, its share of world chevon market has been declining. Exports from Africa represent less than 5% of the total world trade. Most goats are raised by smallholder farmers for subsistence and trading in informal markets. The world renowned Boer, Kalahari Red and Savanna goats are meat breeds that were developed in South Africa. Information on most African goat breeds is scanty, but there seems to be large variations in the breed characteristics, which suggests a potential for selective breeding for more and meat breeds. Recommendations for enhancing goat production in Africa include, prioritizing research and technology transfer on meat goat production, development of more chevon breeds, devising methods to enhance the quality of African chevon through pre- and post-harvest interventions, and improved support from government institutions and policy.     

Fluoridated ground water and its toxic effects on domesticated animals residing in rural tribal areas of Rajasthan,India

Ground water sources (wells and handpumps) for drinking water in 12 villages of tribal areas of Rajasthan (India) were analysed for evidence of fluoride (F) content. These sources revealed mean F concentration in the range of 1.0 to 5.2 ppm. The toxic effects of fluoride (fluoride toxicity) in the form of osteo‐dental fluorosis were observed in the domesticated immature and mature animals, viz., cattle, buffaloes, goats and sheep. The prevalence of dental fluorosis in calves (< 1 year age) was found to be relatively higher than for adult cattle and buffaloes. Cent percent calves (7/7) were revealed with enamel mottling with varying grades at 3.0 ppm F concentration in ground water, whereas cattle (40/40) and buffaloes (14/14) were at 3.2 ppm. The older buffaloes showed brownish black teeth, not creamy yellow as found in calves and cattle. Out of 516 goats and 468 sheep and their 236 lambs, none showed evidence of osteo‐dental fluorosis. The overall prevalence of skeletal fluorosis was 36.2%, with the highest prevalence of 56.0% in cattle and 59.6% in buffaloes at a mean F concentration of 5.2 ppm. At or more 4.0 ppm F concentration only 28 (7.16%) buffalo calves were found to be affected with skeletal fluorosis. Intermittent lameness occurred in most of the higher age group of animals (>7 years age) at 1.8 ppm F or more in the water. None of the fluorotic animals was found to be affected with hypothyroidism. The prevalence and severity of osteo‐dental fluorosis in these animals was progressive with age. Different effects of fluoride toxicity in cattle and buffaloes are also discussed.     

Fatty acid composition of muscle and fat tissues of Omani Jebel Akhdar goats of different sexes and weights

This paper describes the fatty acid (FA) composition of muscle and fat tissue in Omani Jebel Akhdar buck, wether and does slaughtered at 11, 18 or 28 kg body weight (BW). The fat percentage in dry matter (DM) of the subcutaneous and kidney fats ranged between 85 and 98% and that of muscle ranged between 17 and 21%. Subcutaneous fat tended to have lower DM than kidney fat. Palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0) and oleic (C18:1) acids comprised the largest proportions of FA in the muscle tissue (approximately 80%) with oleic acid being the most abundant. Ninety-one percent of the total FA were contributed by the C16 and C18 fatty acids being 31.6 and 58.5%, respectively. C19 and C20 were not detected in the muscle tissue. The essential FA, C20:2, C20:3 and C20:4 contributing about 1%. Muscle tissue of the Jebel Akhdar goat contained an average 51.3% and 48.7% of saturated (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), respectively. Polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) constituted about 5% and monounsaturated (MFA) 43.5% of the total FA. Subcutaneous fat contained more total FA (68.08%) than kidney fat (48.14%) in the whole tissue. Kidney fat contained higher percentages of C16 and C18 but less C:18:1 than subcutaneous fat. The proportions of SFA to UFA was high in both fat depots with the SFA being much higher in the kidney than subcutaneous fats. C16, C18 and C:18:1c acids comprised 64.2 and 78% and C16s and C18s made up 81 and 85% of total FA in subcutaneous and kidney fats, respectively. In both subcutaneous and kidney fats, there was a trend of increasing values of DM and fat percentage with intact males having the lowest and females the highest values. Males had higher levels of C15, C18:2 and C18:3 but lower levels of C17, C18 and total C16, C18 and C18:1 in muscle tissue. Intact males had higher levels of C10, 12, 15 FA but lower C16:1 and C16+18+18:1 than others in subcutaneous fat. Intact males had a similar trend for C12 and 14 but lower SFA and higher UFA in kidney fat. There was a trend of increasing DM and fat% in dry matter with increasing body weight. C10, 12 and 14 of the kidney fat decreased with increasing slaughter weight. There was a trend of the two C16 FA decreasing and the four C18 increasing with BW in the kidney fat. This resulted in proportions of the total C16 and C18 FA increasing from 81.8 to 86.8%. These findings confirm those of other studies on goat meat quality that, as judged by fatty acid composition it is not inferior to that of meats from other farm animals.     

Effects of transportation at high ambient temperatures on physiological responses, carcass and meat quality characteristics of three breeds of Omani goats

The experiment was designed to determine the effects of short road transportation in an open truck during the hot season on live weight shrink, physiological responses, carcass, and meat quality characteristics in three breeds of Omani goats. Forty-two male goats (12 months of age) representing equally three breeds of Omani goats (Batina, Dhofari, and Jabal Akhdar) were divided into two groups: 2 h transportation stress (TS) or not transported (NT). The NT group remained unstressed in holding pens with feed and water provided ad libitum prior to slaughter, while the TS group was transported on the day of slaughter 100 km in an open truck. The average temperature during transportation was 37 °C. All animals were blood-sampled before loading and prior to slaughter via jugular venipuncture. Animals were weighed just before loading onto a truck and after transport to assess shrinkage. Muscle shear force, sarcomere length, pH, expressed juice, color, and cooking loss were measured on samples from Mm longissimus dorsi (LD), biceps femoris (BF), and semitendinosus (ST) muscles collected at 24 h postmortem at 1–3 °C. Live weight shrinkage losses were between 1.07 and 1.28 kg. The TS goats had higher plasma cortisol (P < 0.01), adrenaline, nor-adrenaline, and dopamine concentrations (P < 0.05) than NS goats. Blood serum from Batina goats had significantly (P < 0.05) higher cortisol, adrenaline and dopamine and nor-adrenaline concentrations than those from Jabal Akdhar goats. Transportation stress had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on meat quality characteristics of the LD, BF, and ST muscles. Meat from TS goats had significantly higher ultimate pH, expressed juice, cooking loss percentage, shear force, but significantly lower sarcomere length, L^*, a^*, and b^* values. LD muscles of Batina goats had significantly higher ultimate pH values and lower L^* values than Dhofari and Jabal Akdhar goats. These results indicated that subjecting goats to the 2-hour road transportation with high ambient temperatures can generate major physiological and muscle metabolism responses.     

Changes in macroelements,trace elements,heavy metal concentrations and chemical composition in milk of Croatian spotted goats during different lactation stages

The research was conducted on days 60, 90, 120 and 150 during the lactation with the aim to determine the effect of lactation stage on the concentration of crucial elements and chemical composition in Croatian spotted goats' milk. Milk yield significantly decreased (from 1.15 to 0.76 kg/day), while the concentration of Ca, Mg, P, Zn and Mo in the milk of the goats significantly increased during lactation. The concentrations of Cr, Cd and Pb in milk were very low, with no significant deviations during lactation. The quality of milk from Croatian spotted goats is adequate compared with other breeds in the surrounding area of Croatia.     

Role of Species Diversity and Secondary Compound Complementarity on Diet Selection of Mediterranean Shrubs by Goats

Goats foraging on Mediterranean shrubs containing secondary compounds (toxins) may consume a variety of shrubs that contain different phytotoxins, thereby increasing shrub intake and avoiding toxicosis. We conducted eight experiments to examine whether goats offered different mixtures of shrubs containing different phytotoxins (tannins and saponins) would consume more shrub biomass than goats offered one shrub a single phytotoxin (tannin or saponin). In the first three experiments, goats fed a mixture of three tannin-rich shrubs (Quercus ilex, Arbutus unedo, and Pistacia lentiscus) ate more foliage than goats offered only one shrub (23.2 vs. 10.7 g/kg BW; 25.2 vs. 13.4 g/kg BW, and 27.9 vs. 7.9 g/kg BW), regardless of tannin concentration in individual shrub species. Goats also consumed more foliage when offered the same three tannin-rich shrubs than when offered the saponin-rich shrub Hedera helix (25.4 vs. 8.0 g/kg BW). However, goats offered a mixture of the same three tannin-rich shrubs consumed less foliage than goats offered a mixture of two shrubs containing tannins and saponins: Quercus and Hedera (21.6 vs. 27.1 g/kg BW), Arbutus and Hedera (21.8 vs. 27.1 g/kg BW), and Pistacia and Hedera (19.7 vs. 22.0 g/kg BW). Comparison of intake of shrubs containing only tannins or saponins to intake of shrubs containing both tannins and saponins indicated that goats consumed more total biomass when fed with shrubs with both classes of compounds than with either tannins or saponins alone. Our results suggest that goats can increase intake of Mediterranean shrubs high in secondary compounds by selecting those with different classes of phytotoxins. Simultaneous ingestion of shrubs containing tannins and saponins may promote chemical interactions that inhibit toxic effects of these phytotoxins in the intestinal tract. In addition to complementary interactions between tannins and saponins, biological diversity within Mediterranean maquis vegetation also plays a positive role in increasing shrub intake by goats.     

Probiotic administration effect on fecal mutagenicity and microflora in the goat's gut

The application of potentially beneficial microorganisms to increase host defense is a new trend to increase health benefits. In this paper the first specific host probiotics for goats from a mixture isolated from healthy animals (Lactobacillus reuteri DDL 19, Lactobacillus alimentarius DDL 48, Enterococcus faecium DDE 39 and Bifidobacterium bifidum DDBA) was assayed. The effect of probiotic oral administration on goats' weight, gut microbiota, as well as on the production of mutagen compounds and their indicator (putrescine), were evaluated. The probiotic supplement was able to modify microflora balance by reducing Enterobacteria like Salmonella/Shigella (1.09 and 1.21 log CFU/g feces, respectively) and increasing lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacteria (1.67 and 2.34 log CFU/g feces, respectively). The probiotics administration was correlated with a ten time diminution of fecal putrescine (cancer and bacterial disease marker) and a decrease of 60% mutagen fecal concentration, indicating the protective effect of the treatment. Additionally, a significant increase in ruminant weight was observed after probiotic administration. These results are encouraging towards the use of probiotic mixtures as functional food for goats.