Physicochemical and microbiological meat quality, growth performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot-finished cull Santa Inês ewes and Moxotó goats

This study aimed at assessing the physicochemical and microbiological quality of feedlot-finished, culled Santa Inês ewes and Moxotó goats, and compares the intake, weight gain and carcass characteristics. Three Santa Inês ewes and Moxotó goats with similar ages were confined in double and/or individual pens and then euthanized after 40 days of confinement. The average intake, daily weight gain, hot carcass yield, cold carcass yield, weight loss by cooling and rib eye area (94.45%, 0.220 kg/day, 41.37%, 40.14%, 2.99%, 16.1 cm², respectively) of the Santa Inês ewes were higher than that of the Moxotó goats (84.01%; 0.06 kg/day; 41.55%; 39.81%; 4.12%; and 11.35 cm², respectively). The chevon (goat meat) showed higher protein levels (23.09 g/100 g), lower lipid levels (1.43 g/100 g) and higher red-color intensity (11.62), although it had lower tenderness (8.98 kgf shear strength). The superiority of the culled ewes was assessed relative to that of the culled goats, and the results showed that the Santa Inês sheep has better performance than the Moxotó goats. However, mutton and chevon derived from the culled animals are promising alternatives for small farmers because culled meats add value to the standard meat obtained from these animals, broaden sales alternatives and increase profitability.Key words: Performance parameters, physicochemical parameters, microbiological parameters, cull animals