Differences in Meat Quality of Six Muscles Obtained from Southern African Large-Frame Indigenous Veld Goat and Boer Goat Wethers and Bucks

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study describes the meat tenderness and colour attributes of six muscles (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL), Semimembranosus (SM), Biceps femoris (BF), Supraspinatus (SS), Infraspinatus (IS), Semitendinosus (ST)) from same-aged young Boer Goat (BG) and Indigenous Veld Goat (IVG: Cape Speckled and the Cape Lob Ear) wethers and bucks. Muscle tenderness and colour characteristics differed more between wethers and bucks than between IVG and BG. Large-frame IVG bucks and wethers produced very similar meat tenderness, juiciness and colour characteristics to the BG bucks and wethers, indicating them to be just as suited for meat production. The wethers′ meat, with its increased intramuscular fat in all six muscles tested, would satisfy the consumer segment that prefer juicier and more flavoursome meat. Knowledge of the muscle characteristics of goat carcasses will help the development of the formal commercial market for goat meat, which would benefit smallholder farmers, who typically produce most of the goats in the world. ABSTRACT: Various meat quality characteristics of six muscles (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL), Semimembranosus (SM), Biceps femoris (BF), Supraspinatus (SS), Infraspinatus (IS), Semitendinosus (ST)) from large-frame Boer Goats (BG) and Indigenous Veld Goats (IVG: Cape Speckled and the Cape Lob Ear) were studied. Weaner male BG (n = 18; 10 bucks and 8 wethers) and IVG (n = 19; 9 bucks and 10 wethers) were raised on hay and natural grass, and on a commercial pelleted diet to a live weight of 30–35 kg. All goats were slaughtered at a commercial abattoir and the dressed carcasses were chilled at 4 °C within 1 h post mortem. The muscles were dissected from both sides 24 h post mortem and aged for 1 d and 4 d. Variations in meat characteristics such as ultimate pH, water holding capacity (WHC), % purge, myofibril fragment length (MFL), intramuscular fat (IMF), connective tissue characteristics, and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) were recorded across muscles. Bucks had higher lightness (L*) and hue-angle values, whereas wethers had increased redness (a*) and chroma values. The muscle baseline data will allow informed decisions to support muscle-specific marketing strategies, which may be used to improve consumer acceptability of chevon.