Quality characteristics of the carcass of Beni-Guil sheep, a Protected Geographical Indication certified product of Eastern Morocco: Preliminary study

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate, for the first time, the qualitative, objective and subjective characteristics of the carcass and meat of the Beni-Guil sheep breed, originating in Eastern Morocco. The study was conducted with 105 ewes and ewe lambs with a mean age of 21.5 months (8–36 months), and a mean weight of 32.55 kg. pH measurements were taken one hour and 24 hours after slaughter. The mean values obtained were 6.76 and 5.78, respectively. The mean hot (HCW) and cold (CCW) carcass weights and corresponding yields were 15.82 kg (48.6%) and 15.52 kg (47.7%), respectively. Shrinkage loss was 1.9%. Linear measurements showed that the Beni-Guil had a mean carcass length (K) and width (G) of 63.7 and 17.3 cm, respectively, with a carcass compactness index 1 (G/K) and 2 (CCW/K) of 0.27 and 243.60 g/cm, respectively. Finally, according to the EUROP sheep carcass classification grid, the carcasses examined showed conformations between fairly good (O) and good (R), a bright red color, a firm white fat cover, and a fatness score of 3.42. The results highlighted the characteristics of the Beni-Guil ewe carcass, which are sought by professionals and consumers.

Effect of Age and Breed on Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics of Beni-Guil and Ouled-Djellal Sheep Breeds

“…Carcass linear measurements (K, G, and F) and carcass indexes (CCI 1, CCI 2, and LCI) are important criteria to predict carcass conformity often used by professionals to foresee its commercial value [ 9 ]. The BG and ODj carcass measurements ( Table 1 ) revealed that K, G, and F increased significantly ( p < 0.001; Table 3 ) with age at slaughter.…”

“…Objective zoometric measurements were carried out according to literature [ 9 ]. The leg and carcass compactness index was calculated as the ratio between basin width/length leg and between CCW/carcass length, respectively [ 8 , 10 ].…”

Effect of the concentrate-based finishing on the proximate composition, organoleptic quality and fatty acids profile of the Beni-Guil sheep meat

“…BeniGuil-PGI Lamb meat is the main sheep meats produced in the eastof Morocco.It is very appreciated by the consumer because of its taste and its nutritional quality [7]. This has been revealed in our previous studies concerning the carcass and meat physicochemical characteristics of Beni-Guil sheep [7,8]. In this study, we supposed that the fatness state has significant effects on the meat quality and the fatty acids profile of the Beni-Guil sheep meat.…”

“…The carcass yield is an important criterion for the assessment of carcass commercial-quality in rearing sheep destined to meat production. This parameter (dressing percentage) allows the professional to predict the potential commercial transactions of the carcass (profitability) [8].The results indicate that the finished animals (group F) hada higher (p<0.001)cold carcass weight (16.37kg vs 11.55 kg) with higher commercial yield percentage than those not finished (group NF) (48.43 vs 45.11; Table 1). A similar result was obtained by several researchers [1,3,5].…”

“…3.2. Organoleptic quality Meat pH is a chemical parameter that determines the final quality of the meat and has direct and indirect effects, practically, on the meat's organoleptic properties [8,18]. The obtained values varied between 5.7 and 5.8.…”