Some physical, chemical and sensory properties of chevon products from three New Zealand goat breeds

Small Ruminant Research 28 Ž1998. 273–280

Some physical, chemical and sensory properties of chevon products from three New Zealand goat breeds J.E. Swan ) , C.M. Esguerra 1, M.M. Farouk Meat Industry Research Institute of New Zealand, PO Box 617, Hamilton, New Zealand Accepted 24 June 1997

Abstract The properties of boneless meat from 12-month-old Boer Ž n s 3., Cashmere Ž n s 4., and Boer = Cashmere Ž n s 4. female goats, and of meat products made from that meat, were determined. For whole-tissue meat Žlongissimus muscle, semimembranosus, meat cubes. cook yield, dimensional changes on cooking, instrumental tenderness and sensory attributes were determined. For patties made from the meat, cook yield, dimensional changes on cooking, and sensory attributes were determined. Sensory attributes of curries made from the meat were also assessed. Boneless meat from 12-month-old lamb was used in the comparisons. Boer longissimus muscle had a higher pH Ž6.04. than the longissimus muscle from Cashmere and Boer = Cashmere Ž5.70, 5.78.. Meat cook yield and cook shrinkage were 75–80% and 36–48% respectively. The cook yield of plain or seasoned patties was about 92% compared to 77% Žplain. and 86% Žseasoned. for lamb patties. Instrumental tenderness and sensory scores for juiciness and overall flavour intensity of longissimus muscle from all three breeds were similar Ž P ) 0.05.; semimembranosus of Cashmere was more tender Ž P - 0.05. than that of the other two breeds. Goat meat had a less intense flavour and was less tender and juicy than lamb Ž P - 0.01.. Panellists considered goat and lamb curries very acceptable. There were no significant differences in the acceptability of sensory attributes of patties made from goat or lamb Ž P ) 0.05., although goat meat and meat products were distinguishable from lamb. The attributes of goat-meat-based products should be considered during their manufacture and promotion. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. Keywords: Goat; Products; Sensory attributes; Meat quality

1. Introduction Although goats are a common source of meat in many countries ŽDevendra, 1988., their use in New Zealand for meat production is limited. The New Zealand goat industry, until recently, has been based

)

Corresponding author. Tel.: q64-7-855-6159; fax: q64-7855-3833; e-mail: [email protected] 1 Present address: ANZCO, PO Box 2833, Wellington, New Zealand.

primarily on noxious weed control, fibre production, and dairy products. Most of the goats slaughtered in New Zealand have been surplus males, feral goats, or farmed goats culled for age, although farming goats for meat, as well as for fibre and milk production is becoming more popular. Goats offer a reasonable economic option for agriculture and diversification under conditions suitable for ruminants ŽKirton and Ritchie, 1979.. The marketing potential for chevon Žgoat meat. is also increasing. New Zealand has the potential to process and sell goat meat to niche markets in Asia, where goat meat

00921-4488r98r$19.00 q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII S 0 9 2 1 - 4 4 8 8 Ž 9 7 . 0 0 0 8 7 - 4

274

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280

is traditionally consumed, or to Western countries with ethnic communities that traditionally consume goat meat, but currently receive no or inadequate supplies of that product. For example, the demand for goat meat in North America currently exceeds supply due to an expanding ethnic consumer population ŽGlimp, 1995.. Markets can also be developed in affluent countries by producing high-quality, differentiated ‘Westernized’ goat meat products that meet preferences of nontraditional goat meat consumers ŽZijderveld, 1987.. In Western societies where health problems are associated with affluent malnutrition rather than undernutrition, the lower fat content of goat carcass ŽVan Niekerk and Casey, 1988; Babiker et al., 1990. compared to other meat sources may encourage the acceptance of goat meat ŽKirton, 1988.. The weakened image of beef resulting from the recent BSE scare, combined with the taboos associated with pork and beef in many societies, could increase the appeal of processed meat products made with goat and sheep meat ŽFarouk et al., 1996.. Recent imports of exotic goats into New Zealand have included South African Boer goats, a specialist meat breed that can also produce some fibre in their fleece. A research programme by New Zealand Pastoral Agricultural Research Institute ŽAgResearch. has been using Boer goats as terminal sires over fibre-producing Cashmere does to develop a composite dam breed. As manufacturing-grade meat can constitute up to half of the meat from a carcass, it is important to examine the potential uses of goat meat for producing added-value products. Information on the eating quality of meat from different goat breeds in New Zealand and its suitability for manufacturing processed products is scarce. The present study was designed to evaluate the physical and sensory properties of meat from 12-month-old Boer, Cashmere and Boer = Cashmere ŽCrossbreed. does and its suitability in a traditional Žcurry. and a nontraditional Žpatty. processed meat product. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Raw materials Twelve-month-old does, which had been reared on pasture, were transported 400 km by road. The

animals were rested for 24 h and then slaughtered and dressed using commercial procedures. After being bled, the carcasses were stimulated Žlow voltage, monodirectional DC pulsed; 15 pulses sy1 , 100 V peak. and kept in a 48C chiller for 20 h. The left sides of 13 carcasses Ž3 Boer, 4 Cashmere, 6 Boer = Cashmere. were then transported to the laboratory. Upon arrival, the sides were divided into three primal cuts Žshoulder and neck, rib, flank and leg.. The individual cuts were then boned out, and the meat was vacuum-packed and kept in a y208C freezer until being processed 6 weeks later. Meat packs were thawed for 24 h at 108C. The semimembranosus Žsm. and longissimus thoracic et lumborum Žlongissimus muscle or ltl. were then excised from each side. Each ltl was cut in two across the grain. The anterior part of the ltl and all of the sm were used for determining cook yields, dimensional changes on cooking, instrumental tenderness, collagen content and pH. The posterior of the ltl was used for sensory evaluation. The remaining meat was trimmed of visible fat and cut into 20 = 20 mm cubes. Small and irregular shaped trimmings were used for making patties. Meat from two Boer = Cashmere sides was used in preliminary trials, and meat from the remaining sides of each breed was used in the main experiments. Frozen meat from 1-year-old lambs, obtained from a commercial processing plant, was used in making lamb products to serve as the reference for sensory evaluation. This meat was thawed for 24 h at 48C before product manufacture. Both the goat and lamb carcasses were similarly processed and were not aged before freezing. 2.2. Chemical and physical properties To measure pH, homogenates from three ltl samples per breed were prepared by blending 2 g of sample with 18 ml of distilled water for 30 s using a high-speed blender. The pH of the homogenates was measured with a 230 A pH meter ŽOrion Research, Boston, MA. fitted with a Ross 8102 electrode. Results were recorded as the mean of three determinations from each muscle. The collagen content of the ltl was determined by measuring the hydroxyproline content of a sample

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280

ŽStegemann and Stalder, 1967. and using a conversion factor of 7.14. Duplicate analyses were performed for each sample.

275

least six patties per type. were chilled at 18C overnight, then used for cook yield determinations. The remaining patties were frozen in a y208C freezer for 8–12 h before being used for sensory evaluation.

2.3. Test products One batch of curry per breed was prepared from 1 kg of cubes by a professional Indian cook using a traditional method and recipe. Meat cubes, water and salt were cooked at 0.7 bar in a pressure cooker for about 15 min. A gravy was made by cooking pureed ´ onions in oil until the mixture turned a light gold colour. The meat, broth and onions were cooked with tomato paste, fresh ginger, garlic, coriander, cummin, turmeric and chilli for about 20 min. The mixture was removed from the heat and garam masala, lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves were then added. Patties were made using two patty formulations ŽTable 1.. Trimmings from each goat breed were minced through a 10-mm plate. Trimmings composition was selected so that about 20% Žwrw. of the meat content in each formulation was fat Žgoat or lamb., a level that Padda et al. Ž1985. found gave the best overall sensory scores for goat patties. All ingredients were mixed in a model A200 mixer ŽHobart, Troy, OH., fitted with a paddle blade, on speed two, for 1 min. Batch size was 2 kg. The mixture was then minced through a 4.5-mm hole plate and chilled to 08C. The mixture was transferred to a patty former ŽNippon-Career CF15, Japan. and formed into oval patties with dimensions of 90 = 75 = 10 mm. Patties were layered on mesh trays. Sufficient patties Žat

Table 1 Patty formulations Ž% by weight. Ingredient

Plain

Seasoned

Lean meat Fat Žgoat or lamb. Sauteed ´ onions Breadcrumbs Salt Black pepper Jalapeno powder Garlic powder Trisodium polyphosphate

79.0 19.8 y y 1.2 y y y y

67.4 16.9 10.0 4.0 1.2 0.35 0.03 0.05 0.03

2.4. Cook yield and dimensional changes Cook yield and dimensional changes were assessed on the ltl, sm and meat cubes. The ltl and sm were trimmed to 120 = 40 = 15 mm and 80 = 80 = 25 mm, respectively. Meat cubes were cut to 20 mm on each side. The ltl and sm samples were weighed separately and put into individual weighted Tuflex bags ŽTrigon Plastics, New Zealand.. Ten 20-mm cubes per side were weighed together and then placed in a bag so the cubes did not touch each other. Copper–constantan thermocouples were inserted into the middle of the meat Žor one cube. in each bag to allow the temperature during cooking to be monitored. Each sample was then packed under 97% vacuum. The samples were suspended in a 978C water bath and cooked to an internal temperature of 758C. Cooking times were approximately 6 min for ltl, 11 min for sm and 2 min for cubes. Data were collected on a 1208 Grant Squirrel data logger ŽGrant Instruments, England.. Immediately after cooking, the bags were cooled to room temperature Žapprox. 258C. in 108C running water. The meat samples were drained and gently blotted with paper towels and then reweighed and remeasured. The cooked meat weight was expressed as a percentage of raw meat weight Žcook yield.. The changes in thickness, length and width were expressed as a percentage of the dimensions of the raw samples. Decrease in volume Ži.e., change in thickness = length= width. was expressed as a percentage of original volume. The weight and dimensions of six patties were measured before and after cooking. Chilled patties were cooked to an internal temperature of 71 " 1.58C by heating each side for 2.5 min on an electric hot plate set at 1708C. Cook weight was expressed as a percentage of raw weight Žcook yield.. The changes in thickness, length and width were expressed as a percentage of the dimensions of the raw patties.

276

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280

2.5. Tenderness The ltl and sm samples used for cook yield determinations were further cooled for 3 to 4 h at 08C to an internal temperature of about 28C and used for tenderness measurement. Ten rectangular samples Ž10 = 10 mm cross-section. per muscle were cut parallel to the muscle fibre direction with a doublebladed knife. The force required to shear through the cross-section at right angles to the fibre direction was measured using a MIRINZ Tenderometer ŽFrazerhurst and McFarlane, 1983..

2.6. Sensory eÕaluation Sensory evaluations of cooked goat and lamb meat were done using a 10-member in-house panel experienced in evaluating meat although not specifically goat. A training session beforehand familiarized panellists with the characteristics and attributes to be evaluated. Lamb was chosen as the reference for sensory trials because panellists were familiar with lamb. Also, goat is often consumed as a substitute for lamb and mutton ŽVan Niekerk and Casey, 1988.. Each ltl sample was placed in individual weighted Tuflex bags ŽTrigon Plastics, New Zealand. and immersed in a 1008C water bath until the meat’s internal temperature was 758C. The samples were then removed and cut into 3-mm slices. End slices and external fat were discarded. Slices were wrapped in plastic cling wrap and placed in a Baine-Marie Žmodel GBM 505, L.T. Hayman, Auckland. at 758C and held for no longer than 30 min Žto minimize production of warmed over flavour. before being presented to the sensory panel. Panellists evaluated three replicates of Boer, Cashmere, and Crossbreed meat and lamb over three sessions for aroma, juiciness, tenderness and flavour intensity. Panellists scored their findings on an ‘open-ended’ line scale with anchors of ‘none’ Ž0. and ‘extreme’ Ž100.. Sample order was randomized among panellists for each session. Goat and lamb curries were evaluated by eight MIRINZ staff members, four of whom were familiar with eating goat meat, and the patties were evaluated by six MIRINZ staff members, three of whom were

familiar with eating goat meat. Curries and patties were tasted on different days. Prepared curries were reheated in a 1008C water bath for approximately 20 min and served in bowls. Tasters took 1–2 teaspoons of curry from each bowl. Frozen patties were thawed in a refrigerator Ž3– 48C. overnight and then cooked to an internal temperature of 71 " 1.58C by heating each side for 2.5 min on an electric hot plate Žmodel MV16, Hayman Division, Henry Berry, New Zealand. set at 1708C. The outer edges were removed, then the patties were cut into four and assessed immediately. Panellists used a 9-point hedonic scale Žwhere 9 s like extremely and 1 s dislike intensely. to assess aroma, texture, species Žmeat. flavour and overall flavour of curries and patties. 2.7. Statistical analysis The design was a complete randomized design. Data were analysed using the Genstat Ž1993. statistical software package.

3. Results and discussion 3.1. Chemical and physical properties Hot carcass weights averaged 10.9 " 1.30 kg for Boer, 10.2 " 1.39 kg for Cashmere and 13.4 " 1.02 kg for Crossbreed. There is limited information in the literature on carcass weight of 12-month-old goats, but the animals used in the current trial were much lighter than the 25–40 kg reported for highly selected 270-day-old female Boer kids ŽVan Niekerk and Casey, 1988.. Kirton Ž1970. reported that New Zealand feral goats estimated to be 12 months old had carcass weights in the range 4.5–10.0 kg. The pH of Boer ltl Ž6.04. was higher Ž P - 0.05. than that of the Cashmere Ž5.7. and Crossbreed Ž5.78. samples. High ultimate pH values in meat can indicate stressed animals. Thus, further studies are needed to investigate whether either high pH is a true characteristic of the breed, or the condition arose through differences in Boer response to preslaughter handling.

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280 Table 2 Effect of breed and cut on attributes of raw and cooked goat meat Meat cutr Cook Change on cooking Ž% of raw. Tenderness ŽkgF. breed yield Ž%. Length Width Thickness Volume Longissimus thoracis et lumborum Boer 76.5a 70.5a 73.8 a 108.1a Cashmere 75.7 a 68.1a 77.1a 100.0 a Crossbreed 75.5a 71.5a 79.0 a 112.7 a SED 3.2 2.3 7.9 8.1

56.2 a 52.5a 63.6 a 5.0

3.9 a 3.7 a 3.8 a 0.8

Semimembranosus Boer 75.4 a 77.6 a Cashmere 77.8 a 77.8 a Crossbreed 77.6 a 83.3 a SED 2.2 3.8

51.6 a 52.7 a 63.4 b 4.7

9.1a 5.4 b 8.6 a 1.1

80.2 a 80.6 a 83.1a 4.4

83.0 a 84.1a 91.6 a 6.1

SEDsstandard error of difference. Means within a cut in the same column having the same superscript are not significantly different Ž P ) 0.05..

3.2. Tenderness Meat is considered acceptably tender if the mean tenderometer shear force value is less than 8 kgF ŽDevine et al., 1990.. Consumers can readily distinguish between tough and tender lamb, although they may become less perceptive of toughness differences once the shear force values exceed 10 kgF. The shear force values ŽTable 2. indicate that the goat samples would be considered acceptably tender, and that shear force values for the ltl were lower than values for the sm. Although breed had no effect on ltl shear force values, the value for sm from Cashmere goat was significantly lower than that from the other two breeds.

Boer meat cubes Ž83%. was higher Ž P - 0.05. than for cubes from the other two breeds Ž80%.. Dimensional changes on cooking indicate meat shrinkage, which ideally should be kept to a minimum. On cooking, ltl shrank to 70–80% of its original length and width and increased 0–10% in thickness ŽTable 2.. These changes in linear measurements are summarized as changes in volume of the cubes: the decrease in the volume of cubes of Crossbreed sm was lower Ž P - 0.05. than that of cubes of sm from the other two breeds ŽTable 2.. Because of the limited number of samples, there were not enough replicates for patty cook yield and dimensional change data to be statistically analysed. However, the means and standard deviations of the six patties formed are shown in Table 3. Goat breed did not appear to affect cook yield. Cook yield for both seasoned patties Žwhich contained ingredients other than meat. and plain patties were about 92%, which was much higher than the cook yield for lamb patties Ž75–85%.. Babiker et al. Ž1990. report that goat muscles have a higher water holding capacity than lamb muscles, which would also increase cook yield or reduce cook loss. The superior water-holding capacity would make goat meat a good raw material for comminuted meat products. 3.4. Sensory eÕaluation Goat breed affected Ž P - 0.01. the sensory scores for aroma intensity and tenderness but not those for

Table 3 Means and standard deviation for cook yield and dimensional changes of goat and lamb patties Cook yield Ž%. Dimensional change Ž% of raw value.

3.3. Cook yield and dimensional changes Process economics are better if product cook yield is high. Also, meat products with a high cook yield tend to be more juicy and tender than products with a low cook yield. The cook yield values of about 76% obtained for both the ltl and sm ŽTable 2. are similar to the values reported by Schonfeldt et al. ¨ Ž1993a. for Boar goat, Angora goat and sheep meat cooked using a moist cooking method. Breed had no significant effect Ž P ) 0.05. on cook yield of the ltl and sm ŽTable 2.. The cook yield Žnot tabulated. for

277

Length

Width

Thickness

Plain Boer Cashmere Crossbreed Lamb

92.2"0.3 92.3"0.4 91.8"0.6 77.1"1.3

100.3"3.1 96.3"1.5 96.0"3.1 90.0"1.0

81.3"0.7 82.7"2.4 79.2"4.0 80.1"2.5

124.9"9.5 124.6"6.2 125.6"9.7 117.2"5.1

Seasoned Boer Cashmere Crossbreed Lamb

91.3"1.7 92.5"0.6 91.3"0.4 86.0"1.2

95.1"5.2 94.0"1.3 94.3"2.7 94.5"1.3

84.6"2.2 83.0"1.7 80.6"1.2 85.6"3.0

126.6"4.2 119.1"5.4 125.9"4.2 114.7"6.4

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280

278

Table 4 Mean sensory scores for cooked goat and lamb longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle, where 0 s bland aroma or flavour, very dry or very tough and 100s intense aroma or flavour, extremely juicy and very tender Aroma Boer Cashmere Crossbreed Lamb SED

ab

48 43 a 56 b 56 b 4.2

Flavour a

40 40 a 43 a 62 b 3.3

Juiciness a

19 27 a 20 a 39 b 2.9

Tenderness 34 a 43 b 29 a 74 c 3.8

SEDsstandard error of difference. Means within a column having the same superscript are not significantly different Ž P ) 0.01..

flavour and juiciness of cooked ltl ŽTable 4.. Panellists scored goat ltl as having significantly Ž P - 0.01. lower flavour and juiciness than lamb ltl ŽTable 4.. The aroma of Boer and Crossbreed did not differ Ž P ) 0.05. from lamb, but the aroma of Cashmere meat was lower Ž P - 0.01. than that of lamb. Schonfeldt et al. Ž1993a. reported that the aroma of ¨ ltl and sm from sheep was more intense than that of similar muscles from Angora and Boer goats for the three age classes studied, and that sheep meat tended to be more juicy than goat meat ŽSchonfeldt et al., ¨ 1993b.. Kirton Ž1970., on the other hand, did not find any significant difference in juiciness between meat from sheep and New Zealand feral goats. Babiker et al. Ž1990. reported that goat ltl had lower flavour intensity and juiciness than that of lamb ltl. These differences may be due to differences in fat content. Goat of comparable age and nutrition has less chemical intramuscular fat than lamb ŽBabiker et al., 1990.. Goats may have less intramuscular fat because they, unlike sheep, deposit more fat around visceral organs than in the carcass ŽGaili and Ali, 1985.. Tenderness scores indicated that panellists regarded goat ltl as being moderately tender to tough ŽTable 4., with Cashmere ltl being significantly Ž P - 0.01. more tender than the Crossbreed or Boer ltl. Goat ltl was not as tender Ž P - 0.01. as lamb ltl ŽTable 4.. Schonfeldt et al. Ž1993a. found meat from ¨ Angora and Boer goats to be less tender than meat from lamb, and Kirton Ž1970. found the meat from New Zealand feral goats to be significantly Ž P 0.01. less tender than that from sheep; Smith et al.

Ž1974. found meat from Angora and Spanish goats to be less tender than lamb; Gaili et al. Ž1972. found meat from yearling Sudan goats to be less tender than that from sheep; and Pike et al. Ž1973. found loin and leg chops from goats to be significantly less tender than similar cuts from lamb. The collagen content of goat ltl Ž0.3, 0.5, and 0.4% wet weight for Boer, Cashmere and Crossbreed, respectively. did not seem to affect panellist tenderness scores in the present study. Boer goats are reported to have higher collagen content with lower solubility Žwhich may produce tougher meat. than sheep ŽHeinze et al., 1986; Schonfeldt et al., 1993a.. ¨ However, collagen content alone is insufficient to explain why goat meat is judged tougher than lamb by sensory panels ŽHeinze et al., 1986.. Factors such as fat content, muscle fibre composition, electrical stimulation, aging regime, and cooking also can affect tenderness. Panellists considered all curries to be very acceptable, with mean sensory scores of 6.7–7.8 on a 9-point scale ŽTable 5.. Breed had no significant effect on the sensory scores. The curry was very spicy, which would have masked any flavour difference due to meat type. The meat had been pressurecooked for about 1 h, making it very tender, so there were no detectable differences in product texture. Panellists who had previous experience with goat meat could correctly identify whether the meat in the curry was goat or lamb. Of the four people with no

Table 5 Mean sensory scores for curries and patties, where 9s like extremely and 1sdislike intensely Žthere were no statistical differences in mean scores. Product

Curries Boer Cashmere Crossbreed Lamb

Aroma

Texture

Flavour Species

Overall

7.6"0.5 7.3"0.9 7.3"0.7 7.8"0.7

7.6"0.5 7.6"0.9 7.2"0.4 7.8"0.7

7.2"2.4 7.6"1.8 7.2"1.5 7.2"1.6

7.4"0.7 7.1"1.1 6.7"0.7 7.6"1.1

Patties (seasoned) Boer 6.0"1.2 Cashmere 6.4"0.8 Crossbreed 7.3"1.3 Lamb 7.0"1.2

4.9"1.6 6.0"1.5 6.0"1.8 6.6"1.4

5.6"1.9 6.3"1.1 6.1"1.7 6.6"1.1

5.3"1.8 5.7"1.6 5.7"1.8 6.6"1.1

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280

previous experience in eating goat, three correctly identified the curry made with Boer meat as goat, two correctly identified the curry made with Cashmere meat as goat but only one person correctly identified the curry made from Crossbreed meat as goat. The differences between lamb and goat were based on meat texture; panellists considered that goat had coarser meat fibres than lamb. Gaili and Ali Ž1985. report that goat meat has thicker muscle fibres than sheep meat. However, being able to identify the meat species did not affect the sensory scores for the curries. Goat meat from the three breeds is therefore highly suitable for making a traditional spicy meat product and would appeal to consumers who enjoy spicy food whether or not they are accustomed to eating goat meat. Seasoned patties received lower ratings than the curry ŽTable 5., partly because of the seasoning used. However, all patties were acceptable, with mean sensory scores of 4.9–7.3 on a 9-point scale. There was also no significant effect of breed on patty sensory scores ŽTable 5.. The three panellists who had eaten goat in the past could correctly identify Boer and Cashmere patties as goat, and two of the experienced people could correctly identify the patties made from Crossbreed meat. Panellists indicated that goat patties had a stronger after-taste than lamb patties, and suggested that using a traditional spicy formulation could improve the flavour properties of the patties. Panellists also commented that both the goat and the lamb patties were too greasy and patty texture was too soft. The greasiness was probably due to the high level of goat and lamb fat used in the formulations ŽTable 1.. Fat is known to have a major influence on the species-specific flavour of cooked meat and meat products ŽWasserman and Spinelli, 1972.. Thus, reducing the fat content could reduce the strong goat flavour that nontraditional goat meat eaters found less undesirable than lamb ŽTable 4.. Because acceptability may be highly dependent on the cultural background of the consumer, target markets should be identified, and representative sensory panels used in future studies. 4. Conclusions Because of the limited replicates in the study, results should be interpreted with caution. However,

279

they do indicate trends on which to base future work. The data obtained clearly show that goat meat, regardless of breed, can be used to manufacture processed products of acceptable sensory quality, particularly when a spicy formulation is used. The low appeal of goat meat to some consumers may be due to its lack of tenderness, particularly in meat from older animals ŽKirton, 1970.. Tenderness should not be a problem for comminuted meat products Že.g., patties. or products that undergo slow cooking or pressure cookingrretorting Že.g., curries and stews.. The data also show that although the sensory panel found goat meat to have an acceptable eating quality, they could distinguish it from lamb. This supports the findings by Smith et al. Ž1974. that goat meat is unique and is not interchangeable with sheep meat Žof the same approximate maturity and fatness. on palatability attributes. Thus, goat meat and goat meat products need to be marketed and appreciated by the consumer for their own specific characteristics.

Acknowledgements The project was funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. Ms. S. Newman, Dr. A.H. Kirton and Mr. G. Mercer of New Zealand Pastoral Agricultural Institute are thanked for their cooperation in rearing and collecting slaughter data on the animals. Mr. M. Turner of MIRINZ slaughtered and dressed the animals and Mr. A.J. Wright, Mr. G.C. De Manser and Ms. S.M. Scott of MIRINZ assisted with project work and the sensory evaluations. Statistical analyses were done by Dr. J.E. Waller of New Zealand Pastoral Agricultural Institute.

References Babiker, S.A., El Khider, I.A., Shafie, S.A., 1990. Chemical composition and quality attributes of goat meat and lamb. Meat Sci. 28, 273–277. Devendra, C., 1988. The nutritional value of goat meat. In: Goat Meat Production in Asia. Proc. of a Workshop, Tando Jam, Pakistan, 13–18 March, pp. 76–86. Devine, C.E., Hagyard, C.J., Cummings, T.J., Martin, A.H., Waller, J.E., 1990. New Zealand consumers’ perception of

280

J.E. Swan et al.r Small Ruminant Research 28 (1998) 273–280

lamb tenderness. Proc. 26th Meat Industry Conf. ŽN.Z.. 24–29. Meat Ind. Res. Inst. N.Z. Publ. No. 871. Farouk, M.M., Swan, J.E., Sephton, S.W., 1996. Beef sausage with sheepmeat fat. Meat Focus Intl. 5, 260–261. Frazerhurst, L., McFarlane, P., 1983. A device for measuring the tenderness of meat. N.Z. 190945. Gaili, E.S., Ghanen, Y.S., Mukhtar, A.M., 1972. A comparative study of some carcass characteristics of Sudan desert sheep and goats. Anim. Prod. 14, 351–357. Gaili, E.S., Ali, A.E., 1985. Meat from Sudan desert sheep and goats: II. Composition of the muscular and fatty tissues. Meat Sci. 13, 229–236. Genstat, 1993. Genstat 5, Release 3, Reference Manual. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford. Glimp, H.A., 1995. Meat goat production and marketing. J. Anim. Sci. 73, 291–295. Heinze, P.H., Smit, M.C., Naude, ´ R.T., Boccard, R.L., 1986. Influence of breed and age on collagen content and solubility of some ovine and goat muscles. Proc. 32nd Meet. Eur. Meat Res. Workers, Theix, France, pp. 169–173. Kirton, A.H., 1970. Body composition and meat quality of the New Zealand feral goat Ž Capra hircus .. N.Z.J. Agric. Res. 13, 167–181. Kirton, A.H., 1988. Characteristics of goat meat including carcass quality and methods of slaughter. In: Goat meat Production in Asia. Proc. of a Workshop, Tando Jam, Pakistan, 13–18 March, pp. 87–99. Kirton, A.H., Ritchie, J.M.W., 1979. Goat farming. N.Z.J. Agric. Sci. 13, 134–139.

Padda, G.S., Keshri, R.C., Sharma, B.D., Sharma, N., 1985. Effect of different fat levels on the organoleptic acceptability of chevon Žgoat meat. patties. Cheiron 14, 183–187. Pike, M.I., Smith, G.C., Carpenter, Z.L., 1973. Palatability ratings for meat from goats and other meat animal species. J. Anim. Sci. 37, 269, Abstract No. 159. Schonfeldt, H.C., Naude, ¨ ´ R.T., Bok, W., van Heerden, S.M., Smit, R., Boshoff, E., 1993a. Flavour- and tenderness-related quality characteristics of goat and sheep meat. Meat Sci. 34, 363–379. Schonfeldt, H.C., Naude, ¨ ´ R.T., Bok, W., van Heerden, S.M., Sowden, L., Boshoff, E., 1993b. Cooking- and juiciness-related quality characteristics of goat and sheep meat. Meat Sci. 34, 381–394. Smith, G.C., Pike, M.I., Carpenter, Z.L., 1974. Comparison of the palatability of goat meat and meat from four other animal species. J. Food Sci. 39, 1145–1146. Stegemann, H., Stalder, K., 1967. Determination of hydroxyproline. Clin. Chim. Acta 18, 267–273. Van Niekerk, W.A., Casey, N.H., 1988. The Boer goat: II. Growth, nutrient requirements, carcass and meat quality. Small Rumin. Res. 1, 355–368. Wasserman, A.E., Spinelli, A.M., 1972. Effect of some watersoluble components on aroma of heated adipose tissue. J. Agric. Food Chem. 20, 171–174. Zijderveld, S.E., 1987. Goat meat production, marketing trends and opportunities. Proc. 1987 Goat Meat Workshop, Univ. of Waikato, Hamilton.