Qualidade da carne de cabritos suplementados com extrato de marmeleiro (Croton blanchetianus)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Marmeleiro (Croton blanchetianus) extract on the tissue and proximate composition of meat from dairy goat kids. The experiment was conducted at the Small

Ruminant Research Unit of the Experimental Station, located in the municipality of São João do Cariri- PB, linked to the Center for Agricultural Sciences, Campus II, of the Federal University of Paraíba.A

total of 30 uncastrated male crossbred kids (Saanen × American Alpine), with an average age of seven days and an average body weight of 3.70 ± 0.3 kg, were used. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments and ten replicates. The treatments consisted of the inclusion of different doses of Marmeleiro extract (ME): T1 - standard diet (control) without ME; T2 - standard diet + 15 mg of ME/kg of body weight (BW); T3 - standard diet + 30 mg of ME/kg BW. The experiment lasted 92 days, with the first 7 days used for adaptation to handling and facilities. The kids were housed in individual, suspended wooden pens, equipped with drinkers and feeders. The standard diet had a roughage-to-concentrate ratio of 15:85 from 20 to 46 days of age, and was later adjusted to 30:70. At day 93 of the experiment, the kids were subjected to a 16-hour solid fasting period and a 10- hour water restriction, then weighed to obtain slaughter body weight (SBW), and subsequently slaughtered. The tissue composition of the leg and the proximate composition of the Longissimus lumborum muscle were evaluated. Analysis of variance was performed, and means were compared by Tukey’s test at a 5% significance level. The use of Marmeleiro (Croton blanchetianus) extract showed no significant effect (P > 0.05) on any of the variables analyzed. The average values observed were: slaughter weight of 17.08 kg, leg weight of 1.16 kg, and mean contents of dry matter, moisture, protein, fat, and ash in the Longissimus lumborum muscle of 228.4, 771.6, 196.8, 13.7, and 10.7 g/kg, respectively. It is concluded that the inclusion of Marmeleiro (Croton blanchetianus) extract, up to a dose of 30 mg/kg of body weight, does not affect the tissue and proximate composition of meat from dairy goat kids.