The comparison of carcass characteristics and chemical composition of dromedary and crossbred (C. dromedarius and C. bactrianus) camel meat during two growth periods

In this study twenty-four male and female one-humped (6 males and 6 females) and crossbred (C. dromedarius × C. bactrianus) (6 males and 6 females) camels were grown for six and nine months by completely randomized design. Camels were slaughtered and percentages of meat, total fat and bone of six cuts of carcasses (leg, shoulder, breast, loin, flank and neck) were determined. The dry matter, protein, fat, mineral content (Ca, K, Mg, P, Na, Zn and Fe), ash, non-protein nitrogenous (NPN), and gross energy from six cuts were measured. Results indicated that carcasses from the crossbred group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher muscle content (57.6 ± 1.53) than Dromedary camels (56.7 ± 1.52). The ratio of meat to bone (M/B) in leg cut of crossbred and one-humped camel meats was 3.1 and 3.0 respectively. The carcass fat content of the crossbred group was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower (13.2% DM) than for Dromedary camel group (14.2% DM). The proximate composition of muscle samples from six regions revealed that the moisture percentage of dromedary camels was lower than crossbred camels. The protein percentage in various cuts from crossbred group carcasses was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than those from Dromedary camels. The NPN percentage of female camel meat was higher than male camel samples and was significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) in leg and neck cuts. Although, there was no difference in meat energy content between the two breed groups, meat samples from camels grew for 9 months had significantly (P < 0.001) higher energy content than those fattened for 6 months. Mineral contents of meat were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by growth periods. Results of this study indicated that carcass characteristics improved and nutritional value increased during growth periods of crossbreed camels.