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Goat farming is an important activity in northern Mexico. In this sense, “cabrito” or kid goat is a typical regional dish with high economic and cultural value. However, information on the morphostructural composition and meat quality of these local specimens is scarce. Given this, the objective was to evaluate morphostructural characteristics, carcass and meat quality in local kids according to sex in the northeastern region of Mexico. For this purpose, 14 kids (7 males and 7 females) 57 days old were slaughtered. Morphostructural composition was evaluated with 22 zoomometric and phenotypic variables. Carcass characteristics were evaluated by considering different body structures, carcass yield and degree of fatness. Meat quality was determined by physicochemical characteristics, nutritional value and fatty acid profile. The sex effect was evaluated by t-test of independent means and Chi-square. Meat physicochemical characteristics, nutritional value and morphostructure of local kids were heterogeneous and showed no differences (P≥0.05) concerning sex. Carcass, kidneys, head, neck, rib and loin weights were higher in males than in females (P≤0.05). Fatty acids (FA) found in greater proportion were palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1, n-9), stearic (C18:0), and myristic (C14:0). These FA comprised 80.85 % of the lipid profile of male meat and 76.83% of females. These results are the basis for future programs aimed to improve production systems. Differences found could shed light on future efforts on how to differentiate goat meat from this region of Mexico and enter new markets directly benefiting small producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To quantify some meat quality physicochemical traits in Longissimus thoracis from hair sheep in southeast Mexico, and test if any of these traits effectively distinguish between genotypes. Materials and methods. Animals were 18 male lambs from the Dorper (Dp, n=6) and Katahdin (Kt, n=6) breeds, and F1 Dorper sire x Katahdin dam (DpxKt, n=6) crosses. They were slaughtered at 29.5 ± 4.2 kg average weight, at 6.2 ± 0.2 months. Proximate composition and physicochemical analyses were run of Longissimus thoracis samples, and a canonical discriminant analysis run to identify traits that distinguished between breeds. Results. Genetic group had no effect (p>0.05) on moisture (%), crude protein (% CP) and myoglobin content. It did affect (p<0.05) intramuscular crude fat (% IMF), ash (%) and cholesterol content. IMF (4.05%) and cholesterol (92.63 mg/100 g) were highest in Kt. Ash content (1.01%) was lowest in DpxKt. Values for pH did not differ between genetic groups and were within normal limits. Cooking and drip losses were highest in DpxKt. Chroma, L* and a* values were highest in Kt, providing fresh meat from this genotype a desirable bright red color. The distinction analysis identified drip loss, IMF, Chroma and a* as effectively separating the genotypes. Conclusions. Genetic group influenced intramuscular fat, cholesterol and ash contents, and four traits served to distinguish between genotypes. These are important data for producers and marketers as they aim to create fresh meat products with specific meat quality physicochemical traits that meet demand in a diversifying market that includes grilling and gourmet cuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of stress during slaughter of beef cattle on physiological parameters, carcass, and meat quality at a Federal Inspection Type slaughterhouse located in the southeast of Mexico. Methods: A total of 448 carcasses of male Zebu×European steers with an average age of 36 months were included. Carcass assessment of presence of bruises and bruise characteristics was carried out on each half-carcass. Blood variable indicators of stress (packed cell volume, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, glucose, cortisol concentration) and meat quality parameters (pH, color, shear force, drip loss) were evaluated. Results: Of the 448 carcasses evaluated, 81% of the carcasses showed at least one bruise; one bruise was detected in 36.6% and two bruises in 27.0% of animals. Of the 775 bruises found, 69.2% of the bruises were grade 1 in region 3. Of the 448 carcasses studied, 69.6% showed hyperglycemia (6.91 mmol/L); 44.3% and 22.7% showed high (74.7 ng/mL) and extremely high (108.8 ng/mL) cortisol levels, respectively, indicative of inadequate handling of animals during preslaughter and slaughter. Of the carcasses evaluated, 90.4% had a pH =5.8 with an average of pH 6.3. In both pH groups, meat samples showed L* values >37.0 (81.6%) and a shear force >54.3 N; meat pH=5.8 group showed a drip loss of 2.5%. These findings were indicative of dark, firm, and dry (DFD) meat. According to principal component analysis, grades 1 and 2 bruises in region 3 and grade 1 bruises in region 5 were highly associated with cortisol, drip loss, and color parameters b* and h* and were negatively associated with L*, a*, and C*. Conclusion: The bruises probably caused by stress-inducing situations triggered DFD meat. Appropriate changes in handling routines in operating conditions should be made to minimize stress to animals during the slaughter process to improve animal welfare and meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate productive indicators of growth, carcass aspects and the proximal composition of the meat of the Guinea Fowl (GF) reared under tropical conditions in Mexico. It was carried out from July 2016 to May 2017. The productive behavior (PB) of 100 keets in 14 weeks was evaluated and for the trait of the carcass (TC) samples of 5 males and 5 females were analyzed. It was evaluated in PB, Weight gain (WG), feed consumption (FC) and feed conversion (FCO) and in TC, carcass yield (CY), water retention capacity (WRC), pH and color. Descriptive statistics were performed and a generalized linear model (GLM) was used to detect differences between sex, using the SAS statistical package (Ver. 9.4). The final average weight was 1161.56 ± 94.82 g with a WG of 10.98 ± 0.95 g/bird, FC of 62.04 ± 2.48 g and an FCO of 5.65 ± 0.57 g. Males were superior (79.3%) in the CY, without statistical differences (P> 0.05). The WRC and the pH were very similar. GF production is an alternative meat supply being a source of animal protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agro Productividad is the property of Colegio de Postgraduados and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Commercial availability of a generic zilpaterol HCl (ZH) premix preparation for beef cattle in Mexico motivated a non-inferiority trial vs the reference preparation. The trial was conducted on zebu-type cattle (Bos indicus) under humid tropical conditions. Meat production and basic meat quality were assessed for 810 zebu bulls, aged 18-22 months and weighing 430 to 490 kg. Bulls were randomly assigned into one of three groups: ZHg, treated with the generic ZH (Zipamix®) preparation; ZHr, treated with the reference ZH (Zilmax®) preparation, and Cg, the untreated control group. Housing, shade surface, feeding and water availability were highly homogeneous between the animals' pens. Results for the measured productive and meat quality parameters showed that both ZH-treated groups had higher values than the Cg (P < 0.05), and differences between the ZHg and ZHr groups were not statistically significant, thus fulfilling the criteria of a non-inferior ZH preparation. In this assay, ZH supplementation did not modify the amounts of moisture, fat, protein or ash in the Longissimus dorsi muscle compared with the meat from non-supplemented animals, and the overall meat acceptability was unaffected (P > 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romosinuano is a tropically adapted Bos taurus breed, and some Mexican breeders aim to improve it genetically. The aim was to estimate allelic and genotypic frequencies for SNPs associated with meat quality in a Mexican Romosinuano population. Four hundred ninety-six animals were genotyped using the Axiom©BovMDv3 array. Only SNPs related to meat quality in this array were studied in this analysis. The Calpain, Calpastatin, and Melanocortin-4 receptor alleles were considered. Allelic and genotypic frequencies and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were estimated with the PLINK software. Alleles associated with meat tenderness and higher marbling scores were found in the Romosinuano cattle population. CAPN1&#95;4751 was not found in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The rest of the markers could not be affected by selection and inbreeding. Romosinuano cattle in Mexico have similar genotypic frequencies in markers related to meat quality to Bos taurus breeds known for their meat tenderness. Breeders can choose a marker-assisted selection to improve meat quality characteristics., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Intensive and extensive systems of beef production in the Mexican tropics were analyzed. The aim of the study was to estimate and compare the environmental impact of two typical beef production systems in Veracruz, Mexico. A system boundary was established from farm production to prior to transport for consumer consumption, including intermediate stages of product processing, marketing and transportation. The functional unit was 1 kg of boneless and fatless beef. The life cycle inventory was built using information from case studies; farmers, slaughterhouses and retail point managers who provided information from records and expert knowledge were interviewed. The study included cow-calf processes, pre-fattening, fattening, processing and retail. Several impact categories were analyzed using SimaPro software and the ReCiPe Midpoint method for impact characterization. The results showed that for the extensive system, the cow-calf stage is the major contributor in eleven of the twelve impact categories analyzed, while in the intensive system, it is the main contributor to the climate change, terrestrial acidification, freshwater and marine eutrophication. The fattening stage of intensive system, has a predominant impact on human toxicity, water depletion, terrestrial ecotoxicity, fossil depletion, photo-oxidants formation, freshwater ecotoxicity and marine ecotoxicity; the processing stage has relevant contributions to fossil fuel depletion and the formation of photochemical oxidants in intensive systems. Finally, the marketing stage did not have a predominant impact on any category. The results indicated that the extensive system has better environmental performance than the intensive system for nine of the twelve studied categories. According last, it is important to improve the reproductive performance in calf breeding herds to mitigate emissions in the beef production chain as well as to improve livestock food quality in the extensive system for the mitigation of GHG emissions due to enteric fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Retail packages (N=1004) containing fresh US beef in display cases in five cities across three regions of Mexico were surveyed for cut types, cutting styles, fat thickness measurements, marbling scores, and USDA Quality Grades to gain an overview of fresh US beef in Mexican retail markets. Data were analyzed to generate frequency distributions and examine the effect of city, geographical region, store chain, and socio-economic status of the targeted clientele on type, cutting style, fat measures and quality of beef cuts of US origin. Top round, bottom round and knuckle were the most common cut types. Milanesa-type slice and “bistec” (steak for grilling) were the predominant cutting styles. Over 95% of the retail cuts were trimmed to ˂3.2mm or less of external fat. Most cuts were USDA Select (74.5%) and USDA Choice (24.5%). External fat thickness and marbling score differed among cities and store chains (P<0.01). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Universidad & Ciencia is the property of Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria is the property of Universidad Austral de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To compare beef from Northwestern Mexico (NMEX) and that imported from the United States in physical-chemical (PC) and sensory traits, samples of ribeye ( m. Longissimus dorsi thoracis, LDT) and knuckle ( m. Vastus lateralis, VL) of Mexican (64 LDT; 51 VL) and U.S. (28 LDT; 25 VL) origin were purchased randomly from select retail stores located in 3 cities of NMEX. PC evaluation measured contents of moisture, fat and cholesterol, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), pH, CIE L*, a*, and b*, cooking loss, and normalized fatty acid profile (FAP). Trained panelists evaluated raw and cooked samples for 2 and 6 different organoleptic traits, respectively. Mexican and U.S.-imported LDT steaks did not differ ( P > 0.05) in PC traits. VL samples differed in L*, b*, hue*, WBSF, and fat content by country of origin (COO). The WBSF for cooked VL samples from the United States was lower ( P < 0.05) and fat content was greater ( P < 0.05) than those for NMEX steaks. The FAP varied between muscles; Mexican LDT had a higher content of C18:0, while VL from the United States had a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a higher PUFA/Saturated ratio ( P < 0.05). Although sensory traits tended to be rated higher for Mexican LDT and VL steaks, no statistical differences with U.S.-imported samples were detected ( P > 0.05). Results indicated that domestic and U.S. retail steaks sold in the NMEX are similar in eating quality and PC, whereas differences observed in FAP deserve further attention from a nutritional standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to evaluate quality and yield attributes of Mexican beef carcasses to serve as a benchmark for production in the Mexican beef cattle industry. Seven packing plants were surveyed nationwide. Carcass yield and quality traits were assessed in the cooler at approximately 24 h postmortem. Results indicated that around 90% of the beef slaughter population in Mexico has a strong Bos indicus genetic background. Moreover, 71.6% of the surveyed cattle are presented for slaughter at a BW between 400 and 500 kg. Chilled carcass weight was between 220 and 340 kg in 88.9% of the surveyed population. According to European beef carcass grading standards, carcass conformation varied from poor to good in 82% of the carcasses, whereas in 17.8% the conformation was very good or excellent. In 60.7% of the surveyed carcasses the KPH was 2% or less. The subcutaneous fat depth was 1 cm or less in 90% of the carcasses. In 71.8% of the carcasses the LMA was of 80 cm2 or less, whereas only 8.6% had LMA values of 90 cm2 or greater. Carcass maturity score USDA B'°° or less was found in 92.4% of the evaluated carcasses, whereas 28.5% were graded as USDA A100/B00. A total of 93.6% of the sample had marbling scores of 300 or less, corresponding to the categories slight, practically devoid, or traces. Only 12.9% of the carcasses exhibited a yellow fat cover. In the remaining 87.1% the fat cover was white or beige. The backfat layer was uniform in 43.2% of the carcasses, whereas 55.9% had an uneven fat cover. Information from this survey provided data that could serve as a means to develop a yield and quality evaluation program that can be further developed into a value system for Mexican beef carcasses and live cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current globalization policies demand animal welfare standards on animal transportation. In spite of international tendencies to commercialize meat cuts while decreasing live animal transit, transport is still one of the major problems in terms of animal welfare, besides carcass and meat by-products' quality. The present review analyzes, in general terms, the different definitions on animal welfare and factors affecting pig welfare in transit. Several case studies are referred to as examples, showing the animal response to stress during transport and its effects on both meat quality and the economic impact. In addition, legal requirements and Mexican regulations for pig transportation are also described. Information in regard to swine stress and welfare in transit, considers a number of factors that alter the animal metabolic homeostasis with subsequent negative effects on pork quality. It is conclude that knowledge on basic animal behavioral and physiological needs during transport, as well as a suitable training of personnel, are necessary for reducing animal welfare problems. Last but not least, some recommendations on handling practices are given in order to improve swine welfare during transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel approach to use claw disorders in cattle as a retrospective welfare indicator characterized at the abattoir. A total of 1040 cattle (2080 front and back left claws) were analyzed from 143 batches, originating from feedlots, free-range, and dairy systems. Our results indicate that abnormal claw shapes (>55%) and fissures of the claw wall (>25%) had the highest prevalence, regardless of the system of origin. For the seven types of lesions monitored, numerous associations were found between lesions in the front and rear limbs typical of each production system. Ultimate meat pH was higher in animals with white line disease and skin wounds in feedlot and free-range cattle. We conclude that claw disorders can be used as an iceberg indicator to provide valuable information about animal fitness, and the ability to cope with the husbandry and pre-slaughter environment. These indicators can be used to improve the level of welfare of the animals., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effect of a commercial organic acid (OA) product on BW loss (BWL) during feed withdrawal and transportation, carcass yield, and meat quality was evaluated in broiler chickens. Two experiments were conducted in Brazil. Commercial houses were paired as control groups receiving regular water and treated groups receiving OA in the water. Treated birds had a reduction in BWL of 37 g in experiment 1 and 32.2 g in experiment 2. In experiment 2, no differences were observed in carcass yield between groups. Estimation of the cost benefit suggested a 1:16 ratio by using the OA. In experiment 3, conducted in Mexico, significant differences on water consumption, BWL, and meat quality characteristics were observed in chickens that were treated with the OA (P < 0.05). These data suggest this OA product may improve animal welfare and economic concerns in the poultry industry by reducing BWL and improving meat quality attributes.