Nutritive value and quality characteristics of goat meat

Goat is one of the most common domesticated animals, both in its distribution and its utilization, due to its adaptation to a wide range of environments. There has been a worldwide tendency towards a rapid increase in the demand for goat meat, indicating an enormous market potential. Carcass quality characteristics of goats have received some attention, but products from goats, an important aspect in the marketing of goat meat, are not well defined. Goat meat quality parameters are extremely important for consumers to select meat. They are also important to upgrade meat quality through processing procedures, thus extending the shelf-life and distribution of products more effectively. Goat carcasses are considerably leaner than other livestock carcasses because their fat tends to be concentrated around the viscera and is discarded as offal during post-slaughter processing. The economic value of a carcass and its meatquality characteristics depend on meat yield, as well as carcass cutting and processing. Goat meat has been recommended as an ideal meat for health-conscious people due to its low fat content. Goat meat is also a good source of desirable fatty acids, as goats deposit relatively higher amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids than other ruminants. Goat meat thus provides highquality nutrients but there are important palatability parameters. Pre-and post-mortem factors should be considered carefully to improve goat meat quality. New technologies can be used to improve goat meat quality by electrical stimulation, ageing and chilling.