Characterization of carcass and preference of consumers for meat from four strains of the Tanzania small East African goats

Goats are an integral part of farming systems in rural communities of Tanzania and are second in importance after cattle in the provision of meat, milk, and income. It was estimated that there were 18 million goats in Tanzania in 2018 and the majority (about 98%) belonged to the Small East African (SEA) breed. The SEA goats are characterized by low productivity due to their inherently low genetic potential for meat and milk leading to low profitability. It is important to design sustainable programmes for increasing productivity of indigenous goats and the first step is to compile status with regard to productivity and to assess market-oriented characteristics for these animals. The aims of this study were: to evaluate carcass characteristics of meat from four strains of the SEA goats namely Gogo, Pare, Sonjo as well as Sukuma, and to assess the preference of consumers for goat meat and meat cuts. Forty eight goats (12 per strain) were involved in this study. The meat was dissected into lean, bone, subcutaneous fat as well as standard joints, and these parts were weighed or measured to obtain the lengths. Longissimus dorsi was sampled from the carcass to determine quality using proximate analysis. Also, a survey was conducted to determine the prices of meat cuts and preferences of consumers using a questionnaire. Averages were compared using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of the statistical analysis system. Survey data were coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Test of significance was based on 5%. The composition of meat was 65.2 to 67% lean, 23.5 to 25.7% bone and 8.4 to 10.7% fat. Gogo strain had heaviest carcasses (10.3±0.45kg). Dressing Percentage (DP) ranged from 42.1 to 43.5% and was not significant among strains. Carcass Length (CL), Chest Depth (CD), length of Hind Legs (HLL) and leg circumference were significant among strains and CD was associated with the weight of the carcass. Fore and hind parts as well as ribs comprised 60% lean. Crude protein and ash were significant among strains whereas dry matter and fat were not significant. The hind leg was most preferred (52.5% respondents) because of more meat although was the most priced part (9798±385 Tanzanian shillings about 4.3US$). In conclusion, the SEA strains evaluated in this study contained more meat and less bone and fat; there are variations in characteristics and quality of meat among the strains, and consumers prefer the more meaty parts

Smallholder dairy farming in Tanzania: Farming practices, animal health and public health challenges and opportunities

Smallholder dairy farming is seen as a viable and promising activity to support the livelihoods of cattle keepers in low-income countries. This farming system, characterized by small herds of improved cattle raised under zero-grazing, is proven to lead to better milk yields, but also to require more constant and demanding inputs and resources to sustain production. Moreover, endemic diseases and the poor knowledge on disease control by farmers, along with the limited availability of veterinary services, presents challenges for effective farming. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among smallholder dairy farmers in Tanzania to understand the farm management practices, animal health, access to veterinary services and knowledge and attitudes towards public health of farmers. We aimed to understand the challenges being faced by farmers and the opportunities to overcome these. In addition, we collected blood samples from sick animals for screening for a range of cattle diseases. Milk production was found to be suboptimal, with only few lactating animals in each herd and average milk yields of 9 litres per day. Cattle diseases were an important threat to farmers, but they lacked knowledge and capacity on disease prevention and control. Farming and milk harvesting practices were in general acceptable, but farmers had very poor knowledge on zoonoses and on practices that can mitigate milk contamination. Improvements on farming practices could be made to limit public risk of direct and milk-borne disease transmission to farmers and consumers

The prospect of biogas among small-holder dairy goat farmers in the Uluguru mountains, Tanzania

Biogas can be a clean cooking alternative where biomass is the dominant source of cooking energy and where feedstock for anaerobic digestion is available. By substituting woody biomass for energy, biogas may reduce local deforestation. Tanzania has more than 15.6 million goats. Dairy goats of different breeds are found in the mid- to high altitudes of the country. Population density has made firewood increasingly scarce and there are few energy alternatives in mountainous areas such as in the Uluguru Mountains. In Mgeta ward, Morogoro region, introduction of Norwegian dairy goats in the 1980s has improved livelihoods in the area. In this study, goat manure was assessed as feedstock for biogas and as fertilizer. Field work among small-holder dairy goat farmers in Mgeta was conducted to measure daily manure production, and to provide a basic model for prediction of the quantity of droppings which may be collected by farmers. Biogas and fertilizer potential from goat manure was compared to cow and pig manure. Buswell’s formula was used to calculate approximate methane yield. The results show that goat manure from Mgeta can yield 167 l∙kg Volatile Solids-1 (VS). Compared with other substrates approximate methane yield can be ranked as pig > guatemala grass > cow > goat. The average goat of 25 kg in Mgeta leaves 61 kg Total Solids (TS) droppings per year. It was estimated that 15 goats∙capita-1 would be required to meet the total cooking energy needs of small-holder households in the study location. N:P:K content in goat manure (TS) is 2:1:1, similar to cow and pig manure. Goat droppings had to be macerated to reduce particle size for anaerobic digestion. Biogas from dairy goats could be combined with the year-round irrigated horticulture production in Mgeta. Vegetable gardens in the slope below the digesters could be fertilized by gravitation with the NH4+-rich bioslurry, to save labour and increase yields.Keywords: Biogas, bioslurry, goat, manure, dairy, fertilizer, Buswell, Morogoro, Tanzani

Evaluation of growth, milk and manure production in Norwegian dairy goats in one highland of Tanzania 30 years after introduction

Dairy goats have been imported into Tanzania since the 1960s to improve the milk production of Small East African (SEA) goats through crossbreeding. The SEA goats have poor genetic potential for milk. Although crossbreeding programmes started in the early 1980s, most were abandoned or failed for a number of reasons, including lack of performance records, which were important for the design and management of breeding programmes for dairy goats. This study was designed to evaluate growth, lactation, and manure yield in Norwegian Landrace (NL) goats in one rural community of Tanzania. Growth was evaluated in 211 goats by birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), weight at six (W6M) and nine months (W9M), and average daily gain (ADG). Lactation performance involved lactation milk yield (LMY), lactation length (LL), and dry off days in 251 does. Twenty four additional goats were confined to determine manure production and chemical composition in a different on-station study. The general linear model (GLM) of Statistical Analysis System (SAS) was used in data analysis. Averages for BW, WW, and adult weight (W9M) were 3.27 ± 0.04, 12.79 ± 0.09, and 28.33 ± 0.19 kg, respectively. Average LMY of 322 litres, LL 214.5 days and dry off days of 84 were obtained. Animals with ≥75% NL genetic make-up produced more milk and showed longer LL and higher ADG than those with 50%. For example, BW was 3.38 ± 0.12 kg in 75% NL animals compared with 2.56 ± 0.12 kg in 50%, whereas LMY was 324.09 ± 16.22 and 248.67 ± 16.20, respectively. The amount of manure was 311.8 g and 218 g per day for mature and grower goats, respectively. Nitrogen was the major content, comprising 1.98% of all nutrients in manure. Compared with the early years of introducing NL goats, growth and productivity of milk have increased several fold, indicating that the development of NL goats in Mgeta is positive at the moment.Keywords: Exotic goats, goat kids, Mgeta, productivity, smallholde

Pastoralism: Animal health and food safety situation analysis, Kenya and Tanzania

Pastoralism is a farming system in societies that derive majority of their food and income from livestock production. This form of farming system is practised in the world’s arid and semi arid lands (ASALs). It is estimated that 70% of the landmass in the Horn of Africa is dry land; in Kenya 80% of the landmass is classified as ASAL while approximately half of Tanzania consists of dry land. These dry lands can only be effectively utilised when used for livestock rearing, supporting wildlife resource harvesting and tourism. In this paper we present a current situation analysis of animal health and its implication on food safety based on primary data collected from pastoralists in Kajiado County, Kenya and in Tanga and Morogoro regions in Tanzania. Less than 10% of pastoralists in these communities engage in crop farming to supplement household income, and with their high dependency on livestock rearing, animal health challenges are a significant problem. We report on the livestock diseases with high prevalence and postulate their effects on food safety and food security in pastoral communities. We also explore the extent of species rearing diversification, pastoralist trade orientation, and practices that may expose the community and their trading partners to animal and zoonotic infections. We also assess access to animal health service providers within these pastoral areas and veterinary drug usage that may have significant implications on animal health and food safety

Pastoralism in Kenya and Tanzania: Challenges and opportunities in animal health and food security

Pastoralism is used to describe a society that derives majority of their food and income from livestock. This form of farming system is largely practised in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL). It is estimated that 70% of the landmass in the Horn of Africa is dry land; in Kenya 80% of the landmass is classified as ASAL, while approximately half of Tanzania consists of dry land. These dry lands support wild resource harvesting, tourism but most importantly livestock rearing. It is estimated that over 75% of cattle herds in Kenya and 90% in Tanzania are kept by pastoralists who supply the bulk of meat consumed in the countries. In this paper we present current animal health challenges and opportunities being faced by pastoral farmers in Tanzania and Kenya based on primary data collected in Kajiado County, Kenya and Tanga and Morogoro regions in Tanzania. In the midst of many challenges and opportunities, food safety and food security are never assured amongst the pastoralists. We highlight pastoral community high livestock dependency for food and income, market access to livestock products, access to animal and human health services, livestock-wildlife interaction, factors that hinder increase of livestock assets and explore the knowledge of disease and exposure to zoonoses within the pastoral community

Evaluation of PRNP Expression Based on Genotypes and Alleles of Two Indel Loci in the Medulla Oblongata of Japanese Black and Japanese Brown Cattle

BACKGROUND: Prion protein (PrP) level plays the central role in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) susceptibility. Increasing the level of PrP decreases incubation period for this disease. Therefore, studying the expression of the cellular PrP or at least the messenger RNA might be used in selection for preventing the propagation of BSE and other prion diseases. Two insertion/deletion (indel) variations have been tentatively associated with susceptibility/resistance of cattle to classical BSE. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We studied the expression of each genotype at the two indel sites in Japanese Black (JB) and Japanese Brown (JBr) cattle breeds by a standard curve method of real-time PCR. Five diplotypes subdivided into two categories were selected from each breed. The two cattle breeds were considered differently. Expression of PRNP was significantly (p<0.0001) greater in the homozygous deletion genotype at the 23-bp locus in JB breed. Compared to the homozygous genotypes, the expression of PRNP was significantly greater in the heterozygous genotype at the 12-bp locus in JB (p<0.0001) and in JBr (p = 0.0394) breeds. In addition, there was a statistical significance in the PRNP levels between the insertion and the deletion alleles of the 23-bp locus in JB (p = 0.0003) as well as in JBr (p = 0.0032). There was no significance in relation to sex, age, geographical location or due to their interactions (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the del/del genotype or at least its del allele may modulate the expression of PRNP at the 23-bp locus in the medulla oblongata of these cattle breeds

Isolation and identification of Listeria species along the milk value chain in one region of Tanzania

Milk is an important source of nutrients in the diet. However, due to its nutritional nature it also serves as an ideal medium for growth and development of various microorganisms under suitable conditions. It is a staple food, which is linked to zoonotic pathogens. This study was carried out in two districts (one region namely Tanga) of Tanzania to evaluate the awareness of farmers on milk contamination and to estimate microbial load along the milk value chain. In total 114 respondents were visited to conducted interviews on awareness as well as strategies for solving the problem of milk contamination. Subsequently milk samples were aseptically collected from each of the 114 respondents for laboratory analyses using the standard ISO procedures for food microbial analyses in particular the horizontal methods. We have showed that there are poor hygienic practices by the majority of actors along the milk value chain in Tanga region. Concerning microbial level, our results revealed that above 90 percent of all samples collected showed total plate count (TPC) above standard acceptable in the Eastern Africa countries (EAC) of 2.0x105 CFU/ml. It was also shown that there was more contamination in milk samples obtained from the household farms compared to those which were collected from the milk suppliers and in the extensive farming system than in the intensive system (P < 0.05). Moreover, three Listeria species namely L. innocua, L. ivanovii and L. monocytogenes were identified. L. monocytogenes were isolated and identified as the common contaminants in milk along the value chain in the study region