title: Carcass composition and meat quality parameters of entire and castrate farmed blackbuck antelope (Antilope cervicapra).
abstract: This is the first report on the meat quality and carcass composition of farmed blackbuck antelope (Antilope cervicapra). Seventeen animals comprising entire males aged 7-10 months, entire males aged 13-16 months, and castrated males aged 13-16 months of age were raised on improved pastures, herded (one man plus a dog) into yards, transported 63 km and slaughtered in a commercial abattoir. Carcasses were Tenderstretched (hung by the pelvis allowing the hind legs to drop). Castration reduced liveweight gain but had no effect on carcass weight. All carcasses were very lean with mean separable fat ranging from 0.3% in 13-16 month entires to 3.5% in castrates of the same age. Primal cuts composition was similar for all three groups except that the castrates had a proportionately less developed neck and a proportionately heavier brisket than either group of entire males. Mean ultimate pH for each of four muscles (aged LD, unaged LD, aged ST, aged BF) from each treatment group ranged between 5.47 and 5.75. The meat was very tender, with mean Warner Bratzler initial yield values between 1.3 and 3.4 kg, and mean Warner Bratzler peak force values between 2 and 4.5kg. There was a tendency for the meat from 13-16 month entires to be leaner, have higher ultimate pH, and be slightly less tender than that of the other two groups. It was concluded that farmed blackbuck antelope can produce meat of high objective quality and that castration is useful as a management strategy.
authors: University of Queensland Gatton College, Lawes Q4343, Australia.
authors: K B
authors: KB
authors: Woodford
authors: W R
authors: WR
authors: Shorthose
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Stark
authors: G W
authors: GW
authors: Johnson