A study was conducted at Kongwa Ranch to examine the effects of three diets and two cattle strains of Tanzanian Short Horn Zebu (Iringa red and Singida White) and Boran breed as a control breed. A total of forty-five bulls (15 Boran, 15 Iringa red and 15 Singida white) were confined in a feedlot and supplied with three (3) diets (D1, D2 and D3) formulated for finishing cattle using energy based feedstuffs obtained from locally available feed materials. The diets were fed to the three that groups of bulls for 80 days, and thereafter slaughtered. After evisceration, the carcasss and non-carcass components, that are head, skin, tail, feet, tail and testis were weighed. A sample of longissimus dorsi muscle (LD muscle) was removed from the left side of each carcass along the 6-13th ribs and the 6th rib joint was removed from the right side of each carcass. The samples were taken to laboratory for assessments of carcass composition and meat quality. The results showed that the highest values of non-carcass components, such as weights (kg) of head (13.4), pluck (5.20), feet (5.73), testis (0.76) and penis (1.2) were observed on Boran bulls, though not different (P>0.05) from those of Irringa Red strain [head (12.85), pluck (4.64), eet (5.63), testis (0.780) and penis (1.12)]. The mean values of pH (5.24) and tenderness (64.7N/cm2) were lowest in the Boran followed by Iringa Red bulls [pH (5.26) and tenderness (74.05N/cm2)] compared to those of Singida White [pH (5.32) and tenderness (75.5N/cm2)], however these values were not different (P>0.05). Significant interaction effects between diets and strains were observed on the fat weight and proportion of fat, that the Iringa Red bulls when fed on diet D1 the fat increased above that of Boran and Singida White, while when fed with D3 the weight of fat decrease below that of Boran and Singida strains, The right proportion of fat observed when fed on diet D2. In conclusion, the Iringa Red cattle strain finished in feedlot using diet D2 produced heavy carcasses with right proportions of edible meat and quality attributes matched well with those of Boran. Stakeholders of beef cattle are advised to opt for Diet D2 for finishing the Iringa Red strain in feedlot for enhancing productivity and quality of beef in the sector. Further studies are needed in screening more locally available feed resources to develop formulations for finishing different strains of the TSHZ cattle to increase the demanded prime beef in the country.

Effects of finishing Norwegian lambs of grazing forage rape on carcass and meat quality were studied. A total of 59 Norwegian short tail lambs (126 days old, 36.15 kg BWT) were randomly allotted to three groups. T1 group lambs grazed on grass pasture for three weeks before slaughter; T2 group grazed on grass and forage rape for two weeks and then withdrawn to grass only for one week. T3 group was maintained on grass and forage rape grazing for three weeks before slaughter. Carcasses from T2 lambs had lower (P < 0.05) conformation scores than T1, which was comparable to T3. Meat from lambs grazed on forage rape had higher (P < 0.05) content of n-3 PUFA but lower n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio than ones grazed on grass. Meat from T3 lambs had higher (P < 0.05) sweet odour and cloy taste than T1 lambs. It is concluded that lighter Norwegian lambs after mountain grazing can be finished by feeding on forage rape for three weeks without the risk of producing unacceptable flavour.

A study was conducted in Hanang District to assess potential for on-farm feedlot finishing of Tanzanian Shorthorn Zebu (TSHZ) in dry season using locally available feed resources. A total of 65 (2–3 years old, 150–250 kg LWT) steers were randomly distributed into two dietary treatments in three villages. The steers were finished either in feedlots using compounded diets or under free grazing in accordance with farmers’ practice. Following 90 days of feeding, all steers were slaughtered for detailed carcass and meat quality assessment. Growth performance, carcass and meat quality of experimental animals were assessed to determine feedlot performance of TSHZ. Results show that average daily gain of feedlot-finished animals (620 g/day) was nearly three-fold higher (P = 0.042) than that of grazed steers (223 g/day). Feedlot-finished steers produced 28 kg (P = 0.001) heavier carcasses than grazed ones. Carcasses from feedlot-finished steers cooled slowly as they had higher (P = 0.001) temperatures than that of grazed ones at 45 min (33.1 vs. 30.5 °C) and 6 h (21.0 vs. 19.5 °C) post-mortem. Feedlot-finished steers produced beef with higher (P = 0.003) marbling scores (3.4) than grazed ones (2.4). As a result, beef from the feedlot-finished steers was more tender (P = 0.016) than that from grazed ones, and it required 13 N less force to shear. It is concluded that TSHZ responds positively to improved feeding with significant enhancement on carcass gain and meat quality. Use of diets compounded using agro-processing by-products, instead of whole grain, can lower the cost of finishing TSHZ steers significantly.

Forty five steers (2.5–3.0 years of age and 200±5 (SEM) kg body weight) were allotted randomly into five diets to assess the effects of finishing Tanzania Shorthorn Zebu (TSZ) cattle in feedlot using diets based on either molasses or maize grain combined with maize or rice by-products. The diets were hay and concentrate mixtures of hominy feed with molasses (HFMO), rice polishing with molasses (RPMO), hominy feed with maize meal (HFMM), rice polishing with maize meal (RPMM) and a control of maize meal with molasses (MMMO). All concentrate mixtures contained cotton seed cake, mineral mixture, salt and urea. Both hay and concentrate were fed ad libitum and with free access to drinking water for 90 days. Feed intake, body weights and carcass characteristics were recorded. The daily total dry matter intake (DMI, kg/day) was greater (P<0.05) in molasses based diets (7.64 for RPMO and 7.35 for HFMO) than in maize grain based diets (6.94, 6.73 and 6.19 for RPMM, MMMO and HFMM, respectively). Energy intake was highest (P<0.05) in HFMO (86MJ/day) and lowest in RPMM (69MJ/day). Crude protein intake was highest in HFMO (867g/day) and lowest in RPMO (725g/day). Feed conversion ratio (kg feed DMI/kg gain) was lower (P<0.05) for steers fed on HFMM (7.87) and HFMO (8.09) than those fed on MMMO (10.4), RPMM (11.0) and RPMO (11.5). Steers fed on HFMO had the highest (P<0.05) daily weight gain (919g/day), total weight gain (83kg), final live weight (283kg), empty body weight (268kg) and hot carcass weight (151kg). The proportion of internal fat to empty body weight (2.7%) in steers fed on HFMO was higher (P<0.05) than those from other diets. Nevertheless, all carcasses showed relatively high fat cover (1.1–1.6cm). It is concluded that agro-processing by products are good feed resources for finishing TSZ cattle in feedlots with formulations based on molasses being superior over those based on maize meal, and hominy feed being superior over rice polishing. A combination of molasses and hominy feed (HFMO) could be used successfully as an alternative to maize meal in finishing TSZ cattle in feedlot.

An experiment was carried out to investigate the proximate composition and effects of aging time on local chicken meat quality. For proximate analysis, 24 male and 24 female breast, thigh and drumstick samples from one half of the carcass were skinned, de-boned and frozen at -20 o C. The samples were minced through a 5mm plate meat-grinding machine and vacuum packed prior to analyses. Proximate composition analysis of minced meat samples were performed on wet basis. The other half carcasses samples were chilled for 4, 6, 12 and 24 hours post mortem (PM) at 4 o C. pH values were measured for each sample followed by storage at -20 o C to arrest further changes in meat. Cooking loss and meat tenderness were determined for these samples. The proximate analysis showed that females had higher (P<0.05) overall dry matter and ether contents than males, while CP% and ash content were similar in the two sexes. Breast meat had higher (P<0.05) CP and ash content than meat cuts from the leg. Generally, breast meat had lower (P<0.05) pH (5.89) compared to meat from the thigh (6.14) and drumstick (6.15). pH of breast meat at 24 hours PM (5.82) was lower than that recorded at 4, 6 and 12 hours PM. Tenderness of meat as measured by shear force values significantly improved with storage time and decline in shear force values was more accentuated in the first six hours of aging. After this period, the values were less than 13.3N for drumstick and 18.9 N for both breast and thigh. The effect of storage time on cooking loss was more pronounced in leg meat than breast meat and cooking loss was much less when meat parts stored for 24 h. For production of acceptable tender meat from local chicken, the ideal cold storage time can be set at between 4 to 6 hours. Key Words: Local chicken, Aging, Cooking loss, Meat pH, Tenderness, Proximate composition

The aim of the experiment was to study the effect of feeding system on meat quality characteristics of Small East African (SEA) goats and their crosses with Norwegian (SEA×N) goats finished under small scale farming conditions. Twenty four castrated goats at the age of 18 months with live body weight of 16.7±0.54 kg from each breed (SEA and SEA×N) were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2×3 factorial arrangement (two breed, and three dietary treatments). The dietary treatments were; no access to concentrate (T0), 66% access to ad libitum concentrate allowance (T66) and 100% access to ad libitum concentrate allowance with 20% refusal (T100) and the experimental period was for 84 days. In addition, all goats were allowed to graze for 2 hours daily and later fed grass hay on ad libitum basis. Daily feed intakes were recorded for all 84-days of experiment after which the animals were slaughtered. Feed intake of T100 animals was 536 g/d, which was 183 g/d higher than that of T66 group. Supplemented goats had significantly (p<0.05) better feed conversion efficiency. The SEA had higher (p<0.05) hot carcass weight (8.2 vs 7.9 kg), true dressing percentage (54.5 vs 53.3) and commercial dressing percentage (43.3 vs 41.6) compared to SEA×N. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) for dressing percentage and carcass conformation among supplemented goats except fatness score, total fat depots and carcass fat which increased (p<0.05) with increasing concentrate levels in the diet. Increasing level of concentrate on offer increased meat dry matter with subsequent increase of fat in the meat. Muscle pH of goats fed concentrate declined rapidly and reached below 6 at 6 h post-mortem but temperature remained at 28°C. Cooking loss and meat tenderness improved (p<0.05) and thawing loss increased (p<0.05) with ageing period. Similarly, meat tenderness improved (p<0.05) with concentrate supplementation. Shear force of muscles varied from 36 to 66, the high values been associated with Semimembranosus and Gluteobiceps muscles. The present study demonstrates that there are differences in meat quality characteristics of meat from SEA goats and their crosses with Norwegian breeds finished under small scale farming conditions in rural areas. Therefore, concentrate supplementation of goats of both breeds improves meat quality attributes.

Traditional forage conservation, locally known as “ngitili ”, which involves retaining an area of standing vegetation from the beginning of rainy season and opening it up for grazing at the peak of dry season, has become an important strategy for rangeland rehabilitation in the north-western semi-arid part of Tanzania. The present study assessed the current rangeland management practices, the role of indigenous knowledge on ngitili conservation and perceptions of agropastoralists on communal resources management. Data were collected from a total of 10 villages of Shinyanga rural and Meatu district. Over 90% of villagers were agropastoralists, where the mean numbers of specific livestock per interviewed household were 51 cattle, 40 goats, 20 sheep and 7 horses. The two most important traditional rangeland management strategies practiced by agropastoralists in this region were ngitili conservation and seasonal movement of livestock herds. Management of common resources was perceived to be problematic and most agro-pastoralists shifted from communal rangelands toward individual private ngitili . Interviewed agro-pastoralists claimed that, unequal sharing of benefits accrued from communal resources and poor management of communal ngitili lead to the preference of private ngitili to communal ones. The contribution of indigenous knowledge of Sukuma people lead to the success of ngitili conservation. However, the sustainability of this vital local knowledge is questionable. This paper recommends participatory management that allows integration of existing local knowledge in rangeland improvement.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on slaughter and carcass traits of castrates of Tanzanian long fat-tailed sheep (TLS) purchased from the auction markets in Dodoma region, Tanzania. A total of 40 castrates aged 9, 12, 15 and 18 months old were slaughtered at Dodoma abattoir within one week of purchase. Slaughter body weight (SBW) was significantly different (P 0.05) with increasing slaughter age while the proportional of gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) (as %SBW) increased with increasing slaughter age. Dressing percentage on empty body weight basis ranged from 50 to 54 and did not differ with slaughter age. Older animals (18 months old) had higher lean and low fat content and had significantly tough meat with 69.7 Ncm -2 shear forces. Gross margin ranged from USD 17.8 to 32.8 with realization of small net profit between 0.64 and 1.17 USD when animals are slaughtered direct from extensive system.

A study was conducted to evaluate the chemical composition and digestibility of 12 most preferred forage species by goats in a semi-arid area of Tanzania. The forages representing grasses, forbs and browses were collected during three seasons (rainy: February–May, mid dry: July–August and late dry: October–November) in 2008. In the same periods, sixteen Small East African does (25±1.2kg body weight) under free ranging grazing conditions were observed for their grazing behaviour, body weight changes, worm counts and blood metabolites. There was a wide variability in chemical composition between species and seasons. Crude protein (CP) content ranged from 24.4 to 191.0, 45.7 to 241.6 and 97.5 to 228.4g/kg DM for grasses, forbs and browses, respectively. Unlike forbs and browses, the mean CP of grasses declined below the critical maintenance level for goats during mid and late dry seasons. In vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) coefficients and predicted metabolizable energy (ME) density were in the range of 0.21–0.61 and 3.5–8.1MJ/kg DM for grasses, 0.47–0.76 and 6.2–10.2MJ/kg DM for forbs and 0.23–0.69 and 3.8–10.7MJ/kg DM for browses, respectively. Mineral concentrations varied among forage species and were all low in phosphorous concentration. Most plants were rich in Ca. Except for forbs and to some extent grass species, browses were deficient in Zn while Cu was only deficient in grasses. Goats showed high flexibility in feeding behaviour with shifts in diets and grazing/non grazing activities in different seasons. In the rainy season, goat diets were largely composed of herbaceous vegetation. As the season advanced from rainy to dry, more browses and forbs were consumed while grasses contributed much less to the diets of goats. The proportion of feeding time increased from rainy (0.57) to late dry (0.68) but that of idling in the same seasons decreased from 0.048 to 0.009. Highest (35g/d) and lowest (15g/d) mean weight gains were recorded during mid and late dry seasons, respectively. On the other hand, serum urea concentrations and faecal egg counts decreased from rainy to late dry season. The concentrations of minerals and biochemical indicators determined in the blood showed seasonal cycles but generally within the physiological limits. It is concluded that seasonal changes in the quality of forages elicited shifts in dietary preference and the time spent for grazing by goats and that supplementation of nitrogen and essential minerals is crucial to grass based diets since grasses cannot provide enough of these nutrients especially in the dry months.

Thirty-two castrated male goats of Small East African breed (13.8kg BW, 12–18months of age) were used to evaluate the potential of using treated-wheat straw alone or in combination with grass hay as dry season feeds. Animals were allotted into four dietary treatments with eight animals per treatment for 84days. The dietary treatments were either ad libitum amount of untreated wheat straw (UTS), wheat straw treated with urea and lime (TS), untreated wheat straw with hay (UTSH) or treated wheat straw with hay (TSH). In addition, each animal received 220g/day (on as fed basis) of a concentrate diet. Dry matter intake from wheat straws was highest (438.1g/day, P<0.05) for goats on TS. Daily body weight gain for goats fed TS was nearly two-fold higher than for those fed UTS. Meanwhile, goats fed TSH were more (P<0.05) efficient in converting feeds to body tissue as they required 9kg less feed for one kg body weight gain compared to those fed TS. Goats on TS had the highest commercial dressing percentage (DP), which was about 5% higher than the DP of the other dietary groups. Compared to goats fed UTS, those fed TS had 0.70 and 0.32kg heavier muscles and fat, respectively. Goats on diets including hay (TSH and UTSH) produced carcasses with higher proportion of fat than those without access to hay (TS and UTS). There was muscle-specific response to straw treatment with respect to cooking loss notably for M. gluteobiceps and M. triceps brachii. Chemical treatment of straws improved potentials for crop residues to sustain goats in the dry season with a minimum level of fattening. However, straw treatment had limited effect on the quality of goat meat. Grass hay complemented the effects of chemical treatment in increased intake and growth performance of goats.

Effects of supplementing Small East African (SEA) goats with concentrate diets on fatty acids composition of minced meat, M. longissimus dorsi (LD) and omental fat were assessed using 23 animals (14.5 months old and 20.1 kg body weight). Goats were subjected to four levels of concentrate supplementation: ad libitum concentrate allowance (T100), 66% (T66), 33% (T33) and 0% (T0) of ad libitum concentrate allowance. All goats were slaughtered after 90 days of experimental period. Minced meat from concentrate-supplemented goats had higher (P<0.05) proportions of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and desirable fatty acid (DFA) than that of non-supplemented ones (T0). Minced meat from T00 and T66 goats had similar proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and n-6 PUFA that were higher (P<0.05) than that of other dietary groups. There was limited variation in fatty acids composition of LD attributable to concentrate supplementation. Trans-vaccenic and linoleic acids were in higher (P<0.05) proportion in omental fat from concentrate-supplemented goats whereas margaric and arachidonic acids were in higher (P<0.05) proportion in omental fat from non-supplemented goats. Overall, LD was associated with PUFA, omental fat with saturated fatty acids (SFA), minced meat with MUFA. It is concluded that finishing SEA goats on concentrate diets will increase the proportion of DFA in meat from them. In addition, the proportion of PUFA in meat from such goats will peak at concentrate supplementation equivalent to 66% of their ad libitum intake. Consumers should avoid high intake of internal fat due to their richness in SFA.

To assess the effects of levels of concentrate diet on growth and distribution of non-carcass components of feed lot-finished goats, 23 castrated Small East African-SEA (14.5 +/- 0.5 month old and 20.1 +/- 1.2 kg BWT) and 32 castrated F1 Norwegian crossbred (9.5 +/- 0.5 month old. 17.1 +/- 1.2 kg BWT) goats were allotted to four levels of concentrate supplementation. The concentrate levels were: Zero access to concentrate (T0), 33% access to ad libitum concentrate allowance (T33), 66% access to ad libitum allowance (T66) and 100% access to ad libitum allowance (T100). Each animal had access to ad libitum grass hay. The weight of head, hocks and empty gastro intestinal tract as percentage of empty body weight (EBW) decreased (P<0.05) with increasing levels of concentrate supplementation. The weight of liver as percentage of EBW increased (P<0.05) with increasing levels of supplementation. Similarly, percentage of total non-carcass fat in both total body fat (TBF) and EBW increased (P<0.05) with increasing levels of supplementation, mainly due to omental fat. Seemingly, percentages of total non-carcass fat in TBF for crossbred goats were numerically greater than that of SEA goats. Relative to EBW, liver had allometric growth coefficient greater than one, for both genotypes. Relative to both EBW and TBF, growth rate of omental fat was the fastest followed by kidney, mesenteric and pelvic fats. It is concluded that liver mass is responsive to dietary nutrient density and goats preferentially deposit fat internally as omental fat. Moreover, crossbred goats have higher proportion of non-carcass fat than SEA goats. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.