Chemical and tissue composition of meat from carcass cuts of localgoats affected by different feeding in Tunisian arid lands

An experiment was conducted to find out the nutritive value of different cuts of goat carcass. Meat samples were obtained from goat kids in Tunisia. Twenty-six indigenous kids were divided into three groups: oat hay (control), dried olive leaves + dried Stipa tenacissima, and grass hay. The cuts were the shoulder, chest, and leg of each goat carcass. Tissue compositions of different cuts and meat physicochemical parameters were determined. Percentage of muscle was higher in shoulders (61.57%) and legs (58.89%). The percentage of fat was higher in the chest (24.74%). Percentage of bone was higher in legs and shoulders. The percentage of muscle and bone was similar in the three diet treatments. The fat percentage tended to be higher in the grass hay group. The mean pH value of different cuts differed significantly; it was higher in shoulders, but pH values did not differ significantly according to different diets. The crude protein content of meat was similar in the three cuts and three diets. Fat contents and dry matter of different cuts differed significantly and shoulder portions contained higher crude protein and dry matter (3.95% and 22.61%) than other portions. The ash content was similar in different cuts and diets. The major mineral contents did not differ significantly