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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Comparative and Clinical Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1447321

Comparative study on slaughter performance, meat quality, and Rumen Microbiota of Hainan Dong Goat and its hybrid with Nubian Goat

Provisionally accepted
Huiyu Shi Huiyu Shi 1,2Naifeng Zhang Naifeng Zhang 2*Yan Tu Yan Tu 2Yanghong Yun Yanghong Yun 1Qiyu Diao Qiyu Diao 2*Tao Ma Tao Ma 2*
  • 1 Hainan University, Haikou, China
  • 2 Key Laboratory for Feed Biotechnology, Feed Research Institute (CAAS), Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In this study, the effects of breed on growth performance, carcase and meat quality, and ruminal microbiota were analysed in 40 goats, including 20 Dong goat (DG) and 20 hybrid F3 offspring generated by crossing the DG and Nubian hybrids (NH). All the goats were averagely aged 90 days and weighed at 11±1.34 kg. They were assigned to two treatments, with three replicates per treatment. The two groups were fed the same diet for 90 days before slaughter. The results showed that the average daily gain, F/G ratio, slaughter weight, and carcase weight of the NH group were higher than those of the DG group (P < 0.05). However, tube circumference, meat-to-bone ratio, and eye muscle pH were lower in the NH group than in the DG group (P < 0.05). The NH group showed a smaller fibre cross-sectional area and fibre diameter, but a larger fibre density than the DG group (P < 0.05). Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the most dominant phyla in the two groups; however, the two breeds had different ruminal microbial communities. In summary, hybrids can improve the growth and slaughter performance of local breeds, which may be related to changes in the rumen microorganisms. This study revealed that crossbreeding of Nubian goats with Dong goats has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications owing to its effectiveness in increasing production efficiency.

    Keywords: Goat, Hybrid, performance, meat quality, rumen microbiota

    Received: 11 Jun 2024; Accepted: 10 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shi, Zhang, Tu, Yun, Diao and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Naifeng Zhang, Key Laboratory for Feed Biotechnology, Feed Research Institute (CAAS), Beijing, 100081, China
    Qiyu Diao, Key Laboratory for Feed Biotechnology, Feed Research Institute (CAAS), Beijing, 100081, China
    Tao Ma, Key Laboratory for Feed Biotechnology, Feed Research Institute (CAAS), Beijing, 100081, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.