Meat Goat Carcass Merit

1. Meat Goat Carcass Merit Dr. Dwight Loveday University of Tennessee-Knoxville Department of Food Science & Technology

2. Meat Animal Selection • Selection focuses on traits associated with carcass merit • Carcass merit • Yield of usable product (cutability) • Quality of product

3. Grades and Grading • Purpose is to sort into homogenous groups to facilitate marketing • USDA grading for beef, lamb and pork • Yield Grades to predict cutability • Quality Grades to indicate palatability; flavor, juiciness and tenderness

4. Grades and Grading

5. Goat Carcass Cutability • Carcass traits affecting lean meat yield • External fat

6. Goat Carcass Cutability • Carcass traits affecting lean meat yield • External fat • Subcutaneous Fat Cover Score • Goats tend to have little fat over back muscles, unless overly fed

7. Subcutaneous Fat Cover Score • Subcutaneous fat over shoulder, ribs, back and legs • Overly fat carcasses have thin layer over back and thick cover over shoulders and ribs • 1: minimum/none • 2: rib/shoulder covered • 3: excessive fat 1 2 3 Score

8. Goat Carcass Cutability • Carcass traits affecting cutability • External fat • Internal fat (%KPH)

9. % Kidney, Pelvic & Heart Fat • Expressed as percentage of carcass weight 1% 2% 3.5%

10. Goat Carcass Cutability • Carcass traits affecting cutability • Carcass weight • Relative body size • Body girth • Limb circumference • Prefer carcasses less than 40 lbs • Reflection of goat type (genetics), nutrition and management

11. Goat Carcass Cutability • Carcass traits affecting cutability • External fat • Internal fat (%KPH) • Carcass weight • Muscularity • Has less effect than fatness • Conformation scores

12. Goat Carcass Cutability • Carcass traits affecting cutability • External fat • Internal fat (%KPH) • Carcass weight • Muscularity • Has less effect than fatness • Muscle cross section • Conformation • Shape • Lean to bone

13. Goat Carcass Conformation Scores • Rib eye muscle difficult to measure especially in light weight carcasses • Little fat deposition over rib eye muscle • Relative muscle thickness used to determine conformation • Conformation expressed as a percentage • Conformation expressed as Selection scores

14. Selection Classes 199 Top Selection 1 150 Mid 100 Bottom 299 Top Selection 2 250 Mid 200 Bottom 399 Top Selection 3 350 Mid 300 Bottom

15. Selection No. 1 • Have superior meat yields • Thick, bulging leg muscles • Full muscling in loin & rib (back strip) • Thick sirloin muscles • Thick shoulder muscles 150

16. Selection No. 2 • Have moderate muscling • Slightly thick, bulging leg muscles • Slightly full muscling in loin & rib • Depression at loin/leg junction • Slightly thick shoulder muscles 250

17. Selection No. 3 • Have a lower meat yield due to carcass narrowness • Moderately full, slightly full outside leg muscles • Shallow muscling in loin & rib • Carcass has a shrunken appearance • Slightly thin shoulder muscles 350

18. Comparison of Conformation Scores 150 250 350

19. Lamb Cutability Equation % Closely Trimmed Retail Cuts Hot carcass wt., lbs Adj. Fat thickness, in. Body wall thickness, in. Rib Eye Area, in2. Developed from commercial, meat type goats % Semi-boneless, closely trimmed primals (leg,sirloin, loin, rack and shoulder) Hot carcass wt., lbs Body wall thickness, in. Rib Eye Area, in2. Predication of Carcass Cutability (Texas A& M)

20. Goat Carcass Quality • Carcass traits affecting lean quality • No muscle cross section available • Flank Lean Color

21. Flank Lean Color • Indicates physiological age • Younger is lighter; older is darker due to greater muscle pigment • “A” most desirable A: light grayish pink B: moderately dark red C: dark red A30 B30

22. How do you distinguish kid conformation types?

23. Selection 1 Market Kids • Live goats have a superior meat type conformation; Thickly muscled throughout the body as indicated by a • bulging outside legs • full (rounded) back strip • moderately thick outside shoulder

24. Selection 1 Market Kids 150

25. Selection 2 Market Kids • Live goats have a average meat type conformation; Moderately muscled throughout the body as indicated by a • Slightly thick outside legs • Slightly full (rounded) back strip • Slightly thick to slightly thin outside shoulder

26. Selection 2 Market Kids 250

27. Selection 3 Market Kids • Live goats have an inferior meat type conformation; Thinly muscled throughout the body as indicated by a • Legs, back and shoulders are narrow • Body has angular, sunken appearance

28. Selection 3 Market Kids 370

29. Comparison of Live Goat Selection 1 2 3

30. Carcass Conformation Comparison of Live Goat Selection 1, 2 & 3 3 1 2

31. Selection Value Differences Slaughter Classes: Kids (Thompson Station, Oct 13, 2006) Selection 1 36-50 lbs 112.00-116.00, few 122.00 51-65 lbs 113.00-120.50, mostly 113.00-115.50 66-80 lbs 102.00-103.00 Few 84 lbs 100.00 Few 105 lbs 85.50 Few 127 lbs 75.00 Selection 2 36-50 lbs 110.00-111.00 51-65 lbs 105.00-110.00 65-80 lbs 90.00-101.00 Selection 3 25-35 lbs 100.00-110.00 36-50 lbs 104.00-106.00 51-65 lbs 100.50-105.50

32. 2006 HLSR Champion Meat Goat

33. Summary • Live Goat Evaluation • Kids for meat yield • Selection classification allows for grouping of goat carcasses with similar characteristics for value and marketing • Animal conformation main factor in determining value; Selection 1(Thick), 2 (Average) or 3 (Thin) • USDA Market News Reports use Selection Classification system for price reports

34. Summary • Carcass Evaluation • Selection classification allows for grouping of goat carcasses with similar characteristics for value and marketing • Carcass Weight: < 40 pounds • Conformation Scores: Selection 1, 2 & 3 • External Fat Score: 1, 2 & 3 • % Kidney, Pelvic & Heart Fat • Flank Lean Color: A, B & C

35. Acknowledgements: • Dr. Ken McMillin