CARCASS COMPOSITION AND MEAT QUALITY PARAMETERS OF ENTIRE AND CASTRATE FARMED BLACKBUCK ANTELOPE (ANTILOPE CERVICAPRA)

This is the first report on the meat quality and carcass composition o f farmed blackbuck antelope (Antilope cervicapra). Seventeen animals c omprising entire males aged 7-10 months, entire males aged 13-16 month s, and castrated males aged 13-16 months of age were raised on improve d pastures, herded (one man plus a dog) into yards, transported 63 km and slaughtered in a commercial abattoir. Carcasses were Tenderstretch ed (hung by the pelvis allowing the hind legs to drop). Castration red uced liveweight gain but had no effect on carcass weight. All carcasse s were very lean with mean separable fat ranging from 0.3% in 13-16 mo nth entires to 3.5% in castrates of the same age. Primal cuts composit ion was similar for all three groups except that the castrates had a p roportionately less developed neck and a proportionately heavier brisk et than either group of entire males. Mean ultimate pH for each of fou r muscles (aged LD, unaged LD, aged ST, aged BF) fi om each treatment group ranged between 5.47 and 5.75. The meat was very tender, with mea n Warner Bratzler initial yield values between 1.3 and 3.4 kg, and mea n Warner Bratzler peak force values between 2 and 4.5 kg. There was a tendency for the meat from 13-16 month entires to be leaner, have high er ultimate pH, and be slightly less tender than that of the other two groups, IT was concluded that farmed blackbuck antelope can produce m eat of high objective quality and that castration is useful as a manag ement strategy. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd