Managing goat production for meat quality

Abstract

Managing goat production for meat quality is a deliberate, active process that reaches from conception to consumption. The concept of quality in meat is universal, being wholesome, nutritious and palatable. Goat meat is a product of many different production systems from widely varying environments, nutritional regimes and genotypes. The physical, chemical, sensory and nutritional properties of goat meat at the point of consumption are the results of sequential influencing factors that each, to a greater or lesser extent, can be directed by producers, marketers and processors. This paper considers genetic and physiological factors that influence the production of goat meat.