MANIPULATING NUTRITION FOR IDEAL CARCASS AND MEAT QUALITY PARAMETERS IN GOAT
AND SHEEP PRODUCTION

MANIPULATING NUTRITION FOR IDEAL CARCASS AND MEAT QUALITY PARAMETERS IN GOAT
AND SHEEP PRODUCTION

NEVER ASSAN

Nutrition is an important component of the goat and sheep
meat production systems and plays a vital role in promoting ideal
carcass characteristics and meat quality properties. Goats and
sheep diets can impact not merely growth performance but as
well as carcass and meat properties that are acceptable to modern
day consumers who have become sensitive to the quality of meat
and meat products. Of significance, dietary composition can be
manipulated towards acquiring desirable dressing percentage,
carcass characteristics and meat quality properties in goats and
sheep. It cannot be overemphasized that dressing percentage and
meat yield directly respond to optimal dietary regime as a result
manipulation of dietary constituencies especially energy and
protein have been designed to produce acceptable carcass and
meat properties. However, the existence of interactions of
nutrition with other non-genetic factors in influencing carcass
traits and meat quality properties in goats and sheep, cannot be
overlooked. Apart from dietary composition influencing carcass
yield and meat quality properties, overall dietary impact appears
to vary with sex of animal, age and weight at slaughter. Optimal
plane of nutrition will enhance goat and sheep performance, while
inadequate dietary protein, energy, minerals and vitamins
proportions have been interrelated to negative impact on carcass
parameters and meat quality properties. It is important that the
nutritional constituents be accurately balanced in order to attain optimum dressing percentage, carcass yield and meat quality
properties. Feed resources of every description have been fed for
their nutritional value with different responses on their influence
on carcass parameters and meat quality properties. Therefore,
there are conspicuous differences of ration formulas on their
impact on dressing percentage, carcass parameters, and meat
quality properties. A balanced dietary composition become
predictable critical component of which can impose a positive
influence on carcass traits and meat quality properties. In order to
get maximum response for carcass portions as a result of
prescribed nutritional regime, animal should be slaughtered at an
appropriate age and weight, and also sex to slaughter might need
to be considered. The present review gives an insight of the
impact of nutrition on dressing percentage, carcass characteristics
and meat quality properties in goats and sheep.

Scientific Journal of Zoology

2020