RESUMO
The effects of castration on the primal joints and the cuts of the leg joint of Javan rusa (Cervus timorensis russa) stag carcases was investigated at three slaughter ages (13, 19 and 25 months). Castration reduced the weights of some primal joints in the 19- and 25-months age groups, but not at 13 months. At 19 months, the neck, and neck plus chuck, were heavier by 35 and 17% respectively in entires (P<0.05), and at 25 months entires had heavier carcases, shoulder, forequarter and hindquarter (P<0.05). The leg and saddle joints were approximately 39 and 18% of the side, respectively, for both treatments and all ages. The proportions of the neck, and neck plus chuck, were higher (P<0.05) in 19-month old entires than castrates. There were few significant differences between treatments in the weight or proportion of the hind leg cuts at any slaughter age, but in the 25-months group the silverside was 8% (P<0.05) heavier in entires. In both castrates and entires, there appeared to be an increase in the percentage of the rump as the animals grew from 13 to 19 months of age.
RESUMO
This is the first report on the meat quality and carcass composition of farmed blackbuck antelope (Antilope cervicapra). Seventeen animals comprising entire males aged 7-10 months, entire males aged 13-16 months, and castrated males aged 13-16 months of age were raised on improved pastures, herded (one man plus a dog) into yards, transported 63 km and slaughtered in a commercial abattoir. Carcasses were Tenderstretched (hung by the pelvis allowing the hind legs to drop). Castration reduced liveweight gain but had no effect on carcass weight. All carcasses were very lean with mean separable fat ranging from 0.3% in 13-16 month entires to 3.5% in castrates of the same age. Primal cuts composition was similar for all three groups except that the castrates had a proportionately less developed neck and a proportionately heavier brisket than either group of entire males. Mean ultimate pH for each of four muscles (aged LD, unaged LD, aged ST, aged BF) from each treatment group ranged between 5.47 and 5.75. The meat was very tender, with mean Warner Bratzler initial yield values between 1.3 and 3.4 kg, and mean Warner Bratzler peak force values between 2 and 4.5kg. There was a tendency for the meat from 13-16 month entires to be leaner, have higher ultimate pH, and be slightly less tender than that of the other two groups. It was concluded that farmed blackbuck antelope can produce meat of high objective quality and that castration is useful as a management strategy.
