Abstract
The number of organic farms is growing, but switching from conventional to organic production requires farms continue to produce high quality products. This study compares the carcase and meat quality of Blanca Andaluza goat suckling kids raised under organic and conventional grazing-based stock raising production systems. Twenty-four twin kids (12 males, 12 females) were selected from representative farms of each system. Body weight, dressing percentage, carcase linear measurements, non-carcase components, primary carcase and minor cuts, tissue composition, chemical composition and rheological variables, pH and colorimetric variables, were examined. No significant differences were seen between the production systems or sex with respect to most of the variables studied. However, some non-carcase components and colorimetric variables were affected, with the organic kids' meat returning lower values for lightness, yellow index, chroma and Hue angle. Indeed, some of the meat colour variables examined easily discriminated between the animals raised under the different production systems. These results show that conventional grazing–based farms raising these goats could easily turn to organic production without carcase or meat quality being affected.HighlightsOrganic farms are growing in number.The transformation to organic kid-raising is easy, with meat quality unaffected.These results are of interest with respect to the viability of conventional goat farms.
Highlights
Organic production systems should contribute towards a balance being struck between agriculture and the natural environment, seek sustainable agricultural development, minimise pollution, show respect for animal well-being, avoid the systematic use of chemicals and make no use of genetically modified organisms
No significant differences were seen between the two production systems with respect to live animal and carcase weights, slaughter dressing percentage (SDP) (49.47 ± 0.66%) or carcase linear measurements (L, 38.91 ± 0.43; F, 23.89 ± 0.15; G, 8.71 ± 0.11; BG, 28.97 ± 0.48; Th, 17.05 ± 0.10; Wr, 9.83 ± 0.12 and PT, 42.75 ± 0.22 cm)
The interaction production system  sex had no significant effect on these variables either
Summary
Organic production systems should contribute towards a balance being struck between agriculture and the natural environment, seek sustainable agricultural development, minimise pollution, show respect for animal well-being, avoid the systematic use of chemicals and make no use of genetically modified organisms. Other authors concur that the management of mountain goat systems, which are largely grazing-based (Ruiz et al 2008), ought to be transformable to organic production (Mena et al 2009). The possibility of such a transformation, requires that a farm’s technical and economic viability as an organic operation be assessed. The aim of the present work was to compare the carcase and meat quality of Blanca Andaluza goat suckling kids (both sexes) raised under conventional and organic and grazing-based production systems
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