Abstract
The Bulgarian Screw-horned longhaired goats are kept for milk, meat and skins. This native Bulgarian goats breed have a combined productivity. In all farms with Screw-horned goats, the meat obtained from kids at an early age, is the main income for the farmers. This requires a detailed study some slaughter parameters and physicochemical characteristics of meat from their kids, slaughtered at weaning at 90 days of age, without a period of intensive fattening, and the possibility for obtaining meat with high taste and dietary qualities. The dressing percentage for Bulgarian screw-horned longhaired kids, slaughtered at weaning at 90 days of age was 50.5%. The pH values measured at m. Longissimus were relatively stable stored under refrigerated conditions. At 24 hours after slaughter, the pH was 6.5, and after storage for 7 days it was 6.6. Instrumentally captured color characteristics of m. Longissimus were as follows: The degree of brightness (L *), 24 hours after slaughter was 42.47. The relative deviation to the red color (a *) was 18.02. The relative deviation to the yellow color (b *) was 3.55. The saturation index of meat color (C), measured 24 hours after slaughter, was 18.35. The chemical composition determined of samples from m. Longissimus was as follows: dry matter – 26.2%, protein – 23.01%, fat – 2.25%. The fatty acids with the highest concentration in samples of m. Longisimuss were respectively: monounsaturated oleic acid (18: 1) – 44.42%, and the saturated palmitic acid (16: 0) – 24.46%, and stearic acid (18: 0) – 9.57 %.
Keywords: Native goats kids, meat quality, chemical traits, physical properties, fatty acids.