Palm kernel cake from the biodiesel industry in goat kid diets. Part 2: Physicochemical composition, fatty acid profile and sensory attributes of meat

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of feeding palm kernel cake to goat kids on the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid profile and sensory characteristics of their meat. Forty non-castrated ½ Boer kids were fed 0, 7, 14 and 21% palm kernel cake supplements of total dry matter. Confinement lasted for 72 days, and the animals were fasted and slaughtered on the last day. The inclusion of palm kernel cake in the diet of goat kids did not affect the moisture (P = 0.50), lipid (P = 0.36), protein (P = 0.58), ash (P = 0.98), pH mean (P = 0.79), lightness L* (P = 0.69), redness a* (P = 0.42), yellowness b* (P = 0.51), chroma C* (P = 0.49), cooking loss (CL) (P = 0.61) or Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) (P = 0.81) of the goat kid meat. The fatty acid sums ∑SFA (P = 0.85), ∑MUFA (P = 0.49), and ∑PUFA (P = 0.28); short-chain fatty acids (SCFA; P = 0.44); medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA; P = 0.87); long-chain fatty acids (LCFA; P = 0.55), ∑n-6 (P = 0.43), ∑n-3 (P = 0.44); ∑UFA/∑SFA (P = 0.82), ∑PUFA/∑SFA (P = 0.67), ∑n-6/∑n-3 (P = 0.27) ratios; nutraceutical compound atherogenicity index (AI; P = 0.12); h/H index (P = 0.54); and desirable fatty acids (DFA; P = 0.32) of the goat kid Longissimus dorsi muscle were not changed by including palm kernel cake in the diet. However, there were decreasing trends in C10:0 (P = 0.078), C22:0 (P = 0.058) and C18:2 (P = 0.090) as well as increasing trends in C16:1 (P = 0.074). The sensory characteristics of the lamb meat, including appearance (P = 0.88), goaty aroma (P = 0.89), goaty flavor (P = 0. 0.91), tenderness (P = 0.57), succulence (P = 0.85), and overall acceptance (P = 0.65), were not affected by the inclusion of palm kernel cake in the diets of lambs. The inclusion of palm kernel cake did not affect the physicochemical composition, amount of FAs, sum, ratios or nutraceutical compounds. Based on the global appreciation of goat kid meat, the inclusion of 21% palm kernel cake in the goat kid diet is recommended, as this feed is a by-product that will reduce the total mixed ration cost.