Effect of production system on growth performances and meat traits of suckling Messinese goat kids.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the production system on growth performan- ces and meat quality of suckling Messinese goat kids. At birth, 102 suckling kids were divided into two homogeneous groups for sex and body weight (3.4 kg); animals of the SES group were fed exclusively with spontaneous pasture and kept in the stable during the evening; animals of the ES group were fed exclusively with spontaneous pasture, characterised by the presence of Quercus suber, and kept exclusively outdoors. From birth to weaning, kids were weighed every10 days. At slaughter, carcase yields and meat quality traits on the Longissimus dorsi muscle were studied. Data were subjected to ANOVA. ES group showed the highest final body weight (10.53kg vs. 9.40kg; p<.001). As regard the meat traits, ES group showed the lowest final pH (5.63 vs. 5.96; p<.001), the lowest value of Hue (46.24 vs. 62.64; p<.005) and the highest val- ues of cooking loss (ES 25.53% vs. SES 19.60%; p < .05) and shear force (ES 5.04 kg/cm2 vs. SES 3.63kg/cm2; p<.05). Chemical composition showed similar values in both groups. Meat fatty acid composition showed the highest values of MUFA (45.89% vs. 40.90%; p<.05) and PUFA (0.14% vs. 0.11%; p<.05) and the lowest of x – 6/x – 3 ratio (4.89 vs. 6.98; p<.05) and Thrombogenic Index (1.64 vs. 1.98; p < .05) in the ES group. The results confirm the favourable characteristics of goat meat and the relation between the typical production system of goats in the Nebrodi area and their performances.