Carcass characteristics of Awassi ram lambs slaughtered at different weights

Thirty Awassi ram lambs were used to study the effects of slaughter weight on carcass characteristics. Lambs were slaughtered at three different live weights (20, 30, and 40 kg). Empty body weight, hot and cold carcass weights and non-carcass components increased (P<0.001) at a steady rate between all slaughter weights. Body length, leg length, maximum shoulder width, width behind shoulders and gigot width increased (P<0.001) as slaughter weight increased from 20 to 40 kg. Linear dimensions measured on the surface of the M. Longissimus also increased (P<0.001) with increasing slaughter weight. The ratio between width and depth of the longissimus muscle decreased (P<0.01) at a steady rate between 20 and 40 kg indicating that the muscle increased more in depth than width. Dressing-out percentage was higher (P<0.001) for lambs slaughtered at 30 kg live weight compared to other weights. Total lean and total bone decreased (P<0.05) as a percent of cold carcass weight while total fat, subcutaneous and intermuscular fat percentages increased (P<0.05) with increasing weight. Subcutaneous fat percentage was not affected by increasing body weight between 20 and 30 kg. Intermuscular fat percent was higher in all cuts except the leg where subcutaneous fat % was higher. Muscle to bone ratio increased (P<0.001) while muscle to fat ratio decreased (P<0.001) with increasing body weight in the four major cuts and the whole carcass. In conclusion, slaughtering Awassi ram lambs at weights up to 30 kg resulted in higher dressing-out percentage and better carcass characteristics than ram lambs slaughtered at heavier weights. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.