Effects of Breed on Chemical Composition, Quality Attributes and Texture Characteristics of One-Humped Camel Meat

Abstract Text:

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of breed on quality parameters and texture indices of one-humped camel meat. Thirty two (32) Longissimus dorsi and Semimembranosus muscles were taken equally form sixteen (16) one-humped camels of two breeds (domestic Saudi and imported Somali) with a live weight of approximately 140-150 kg, at approximately 12-15 months of age. The experiment followed a (2X2) factorial (two breeds X two muscles), in a completely randomized design and  the statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (ver. 18) sotware program. The results showed that only moisture and crude fat of the chemical composition were significantly (P<0.05) different between the treatments. The Semimembranosus muscle of the domestic camel breed composed the highest (3.24%) fat content. While the highest (77.27%) moisture content was attained by the Semimembranosus muscle of the imported breed. Shearing force was significantly (P<0.05) different between the treated camel groups. The Longissimus muscle for both breeds were more tender than their counterparts Semimembranosus muscles. Contrary to the context, the Semimembranosus muscle of the imported breed attained the highest myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) value. Although the tested groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). It is also noticed that the Longissimus and Semimembranosus muscles for the domestic breed showed the least MFI values. Cooking loss and water-holding capacity (WHC) were significantly different (P<0.05) between the muscles of the two breeds. The Longissimus muscle of the imported breed showed the highest cooking loss (32.83%) compared to that of the domestic breed which revealed the lowest value (28.15%) of cooking loss. Coinciding with its cooking loss value, the Longissimus muscle of the domestic breed had the lowest value of WHC. The Longissimus muscle of the domestic breed tended to be more red in color than that of the imported breed, while the Semimembranosus muscle of the domestic breed tended to be lighter than that of the imported breed. The treatment groups also showed significant (P<0.05) differences between them in hardness, chewiness and cohesiveness. On the other hand, they did not differ significantly (P>0.05) in springiness. It is concluded that meats from both the domestic and imported camels differ in fat content and quality characteristics.

Keywords: Breed, Camel, Meat