A comparison of the carcass and meat quality of Martina Franca donkey foals aged 8 or 12Â months

- Donkey meat showed a good amount of essential amino acids, higher compared to beef meat and similar to horse meat.
- Donkey meat is characterised by a content of polyunsaturated fatty acids higher compared to beef and lamb meat.
- Donkey meat showed a content of linoleic and linolenic fatty acid similar to horse meat and higher than beef meat.
- Donkey meat could be used as a valid alternative to other red meats.
- The results obtained in this study can represent a starting point for the exploitation of donkey production.

The effects of slaughter age (8 vs 12 months) were investigated on meat and carcass quality obtained from Martina Franca donkey foals. Sixteen male foals were used, eight were slaughtered at 8 months of age with a mean (± s.e.) final body weight of 101 ± 18 kg and the remaining 8 foals slaughtered at 12 months of age with a mean final body weight of 122 ± 13 kg.Carcass weight and dressing percentage were higher (P < 0.05) in older foals. Shear force value was lower (P < 0.05) in donkeys slaughtered at 8 months of age (54.03 N) compared to the same muscle Longissimus Thoracis et Lumborum (LTL) collected in older animals (62.66 N). Muscle glycogen content was higher (P < 0.05) in foals slaughtered at 12 months of age. Donkey foal meat showed an interesting content of essential amino acids and a notable percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in both groups of animals, giving a high nutritional value to this alternative red meat.