Carcass traits and retail display-life of chops from different goat breed types

Four groups of goats, Beer x Spanish, straightbred Spanish, Spanish x Angor a, and straightbred Angora were slaughtered at a constant age according to accepted industry procedures. At 24 h postmortem, various carcass yield and quality measurements were taken. At 48 h postmortem, one side from each ca rcass was fabricated into major wholesale cuts for dissection into percenta ge lean, bone, and fat. Rib chops from the opposite side were fabricated, p ackaged, and displayed in a retail case. Trained panelists evaluated the ri b chops over 4 d of retail display for lean color, surface discoloration, a nd overall appearance; packages were opened and analyzed for off-odor on d 4. When slaughtered at constant ages, Angora goats had lighter (P < .05) li ve and hot carcass weights than all other breed types, and Beer x Spanish g oats had heavier (P < .05) live and carcass weights than Spanish goats. Liv e and carcass weights for Beer x Spanish and Spanish x Angora goats did not differ (P > .05). Carcasses from Angora goats had considerably smaller (P < .05) longissimus muscle areas than all other breed types. Carcasses from Spanish goats had lower (P < .05) carcass conformation scores than carcasse s from Boer x Spanish goats but did not differ (P > .05) from carcasses of the other two breed types. Carcasses from Angora goats had smaller (P < .05 ) leg circumferences than the carcasses from Beer x Spanish and Spanish x A ngora breed types. In general, carcasses from Boer x Spanish and Spanish go ats possessed higher (P < .05) percentages of lean and lower (P < .05) perc entages of fat for the side than did carcasses from Spanish x Angora and An gora goats. When the Spanish x Angora carcasses were compared to the Angora carcasses, it seemed that the addition of the Spanish breeding tended to i ncrease lean and decrease fatness for most side or primal comparisons. Ther e were no (P > .05) breed type or breed type x day effects for lean color, surface discoloration, overall appearance or off-odor; however, day of disp lay did influence (P < .05) these traits. Crossing Spanish with Angora goat s may be an option to improve carcass characteristics over that of straight bred Angora.