Carcass and meat quality characteristics of Beni-Guil autochthonous ovine breed: effect of live weight at slaughter

Ninety female lambs of the Beni-Guil sheep breed were used to study the effect of slaughter live weight (SLW) on carcass characteristics and meat quality. The animals were raised in Morocco's eastern area under a pastoral-transhumant system. The lambs were slaughtered at three weight classes (SLW1 =20-25 kg, SLW2 = 26-30 kg, SLW3 = 31-35 kg). Ultimate pH value (pHu), fat and meat color, zoometric measurement, conformation score, fatness state, and fat consistency were evaluated 24 h post-slaughter. The carcass measures and compactness indexes increase with higher SLW (p<0.001). However, the dressing percentage and shrinkage were not affected. The longissimus lumborum muscle was used for meat quality determination. The pHu was not affected (p>0.05) by SLW effect. With respect to meat color, the lightness (L*) decreased with increasing SLW, while the redness increased (p<0.05). The female lambs with a carcass weight of 20-25 kg have a higher L* value (41.89), and lambs with a carcass weight between 31 and 35 kg have a higher redness value (21.73). In relation to the c1arcass fatness state and carcass conformation, the SLW had a significant effect (p<0.001). The conformation and the fatness increase in the logical sequence of SLW.