Effect of Slaughter Age on Muscle Fiber Composition, Intramuscular Connective Tissue, and Tenderness of Goat Meat during Post-Mortem Time

This study evaluated the effects of slaughter age and post-mortem time on meat quality traits, tenderness, histochemical analyses, and perimysium thickness in the longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle of the Korean native black goat (KNBG) maintained at 4 °C for up to 21 days post mortem. Samples of LT muscle were obtained from the carcasses of 24 KNBGs, including old and young goats (AG, n = 12, 18 months of age; YG, n = 12, 9 months of age), to measure all analyses during 21 days of post-mortem time. AGs had a higher percentage of type I fiber but a lower percentage of type IIA fiber than YGs (p < 0.05). AGs had higher a* value, lower released water (RW) %, and higher Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) value than YGs (p < 0.05). The perimysium thickness (PMT) of AGs was also higher than that of YGs (p < 0.05). Although the PMT did not change during post-mortem period, the WBSF value of AGs was higher than that of YGs after 21 days post mortem (p < 0.05). The results imply that AGs are tougher than YGs due to their muscle fiber characteristics and thicker perimysium.