Ruminants· 2026Q2· Review
Carcass Traits, Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Profile in Meat of Suckling Goat Kids Fed with Milk Replacer: A Meta-Analysis
- 0citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A meta-analysis of 13 studies (n=data from 13 articles) found milk replacer (MR) feeding in suckling goat kids reduced renal fat weight and water-holding capacity, and altered fatty acid profiles by decreasing saturated fatty acids (capric, pentadecanoic, palmitic, stearic, arachidic) while increasing linoleic acid.
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Key points
- Milk replacer (MR) feeding in suckling goat kids did not impact body weight, hot carcass weight, or yield.
- MR feeding resulted in lower renal fat weight (p < 0.05) and reduced water-holding capacity in meat (p < 0.05).
- Meat quality parameters like pH, color, texture, and major nutrient content (moisture, protein, fat) were unaffected by MR.
- MR feeding decreased concentrations of capric, pentadecanoic, palmitic, stearic, and arachidic acids (p < 0.05).
- MR feeding increased linoleic acid concentration (p < 0.05) while other unsaturated fatty acids remained unchanged.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of milk replacer (MR) feeding on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and fatty acid profile in suckling goat kids through a meta-analysis. The electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar were used to identify the articles required for the meta-analysis using the PRISMA methodology. The data used in this meta-analysis were obtained from 13 English-language articles published in peer-reviewed journals between January 2005 and May 2026. All data were analyzed using random-effects models. Feeding with MR did not affect (p > 0.05) body weight at slaughter, hot carcass weight, or hot carcass yield of suckling kids. However, a lower renal fat weight (p < 0.05) was observed in kids fed MR. On the other hand, feeding with MR did not affect (p > 0.05) meat pH at 24 h, lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), Chroma (C*), Hue (H°), Warner-Bratzler shear force, or the moisture, protein, fat, collagen, and ash content in the meat of suckling kids. Nevertheless, a lower water-holding capacity (p < 0.05) was observed in the meat of kids fed MR. Feeding with MR did not affect (p > 0.05) the concentration of caproic, caprylic, lauric, myristic, myristoleic, palmitoleic, heptadecanoic, oleic, alpha-linolenic, arachidonic acid, behenic acids, total saturated fatty acids, total monounsaturated fatty acids, and total polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, lower concentrations (p < 0.05) of capric, pentadecanoic, palmitic, stearic, and arachidic acids were observed in the meat of suckling kids fed MR. In contrast, higher concentrations (p < 0.05) of linoleic acid were observed in the meat of suckling kids fed MR. In conclusion, the use of milk replacer in suckling kids preserves growth, carcass traits, and most meat quality attributes, while reducing renal fat deposition and selectively modifying the fatty acid composition toward a higher linoleic acid content.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Ruminants, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Agronomy and Crop Science
Agronomy and Crop ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences