Abstract
Worldwide the consumption of chevon (goat meat) has increased largely due to its distinct nutritional attributes when compared to other red meats. In addition to being a good source of dietary protein for human beings, chevon comparatively has a lower total fat, saturated fatty acid and cholesterol content, which makes it a healthful product. Chevon’s health promoting chemical composition fulfils the expectations of consumers’ demand for healthful foods and thus explaining its growing popularity and increased demand. The increase in the popularity and demand of chevon is essential to contributing towards the increase in demand for animal-derived protein sources for human consumption, which is driven by an expansion in urban settlements, improving incomes, and the need for a better lifestyle. Despite chevon being established as lean red meat with low content of fat, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, there are misconceptions regarding the perceived inferior quality of chevon compared to beef, pork or lamb among some consumers. This review seeks to provide evidence supporting the favorable nutritive characteristics of chevon and it being a healthful product that is poised to make a significant contribution to animal-derived foods for human consumption.
Highlights
Meat is an integral part of the human diet
Chevon is mainly consumed locally and most of it is sold at local “markets” that cater for domestic consumption [37]
In order to increase the demand for chevon and simultaneously increase chevon sales, market participants are encouraged to avert misconceptions of goat meat being regarded as inferior meat through synchronization of market preferences with the supply of the product
Summary
Meat is an integral part of the human diet. It is one of the major sources of dietary protein, fat, vitamins and minerals for the human populace. This “lag” in the investment towards improving the productive traits of goats, could have resulted from the relegation of goats to low economic value by the developed world, and a preference by consumers for other meats compared to chevon [21] These two aspects have hugely contributed to the mismatch in developmental investment into goat productivity and the potential of goats to contribute to animal production for human consumption. Despite this slow investment into the development of goats targeting improved productivity, chevon, due to its healthful chemical nutrient profile is potentially going to be the major contributor of animal-derived protein for human consumption in the not too distant future It is against this background that this review seeks to create an awareness of the goat population, highlight the merits of goats over other small ruminants, and interrogate the capacity to produce chevon on a large scale and to create an awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of chevon as a dietary protein source for human consumption
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