Abstract
This paper presents results from a study of the body composition and sensory characteristics of female weaner goat meat. A completely randomized $3{\times}3{\times}2$ factorial design was used. Factors were genotype (Thai native; TN, 75% TN $\times$ 25% Anglo-Nubian; AN and 50% TN $\times$ 50% AN), feeding {grazing only, low (1.0% BW/d) and high (1.5% BW/d) concentrate supplementation and parasite control (undrenched and drenched)}. It was shown that there was no effect of genotype on body components and dressing percentage. However, TN and 75% TN $\times$ 25% AN kids had significantly (p<0.05) higher muscle to bone ratios (4.20% and 4.20%, respectively) compared with 50% TN $\times$ 50% AN kids (3.88%). Kids on grazing only had significantly (p<0.01) higher muscle percentage (64.12%) than did kids in low (61.30%) and high (60.62%) supplementary feeding program, but there was no significant (p>0.05) difference between low and high supplementary feeding groups. Kids offered supplementary feeding had significantly (p<0.01) higher percentages of total fat, intermuscular fat, pelvic fat and kidney fat than those of grazing only. Kids offered supplementary feeding had significantly (p<0.05) higher muscle to bone ratios and significantly (p<0.01) higher muscle plus fat to bone ratios compared with those of grazing only. This may be due to significantly lower (p<0.01) bone contents (14.95, 14.17 and 16.8% for kids offered low and high supplementary feeding and grazing only, respectively. There was no significant difference in sensory characteristics of goat meat between genotypes or feeding groups.