• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.128-133
• /
• 2013

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Acacia karroo supplementation on growth, ultimate pH, colour and cooking losses of meat from indigenous Xhosa lop-eared goats. Eighteen castrated 4-month-old kids were used in the study until slaughter. The kids were subdivided in two treatment groups A. karroo supplemented (AK) and non-supplemented (NS). The supplemented goats were given 200 g per head per d of fresh A. karroo leaves. The kids were slaughtered on d 60 and sample cuttings for meat quality assessment were taken from the Longistimus dorsi muscle. The supplemented kids had higher (p<0.05) growth rates than the non-supplemented ones. The meat from the A. karroo supplemented goats had lower (p<0.05) ultimate pH and cooking loss than the meat from the non-supplemented goats. Acacia karroo supplemented goats produced higher (p<0.05) $b^*$ (yellowness) value, but supplementation had no significant effect on $L^*$ (lightness) and $a^*$ (redness) of the meat. Therefore, A. karroo supplementation improved growth performance and the quality of meat from goats.