Lipid profile and fatty acid composition of chevon as effected by feeding water washed neem seed (Azadirachta indica) kernal cake

A study was undertaken to find the effect of feeding water washed neem seed kernal cake (WWNSKC) on the chevon quality and lipid content. Two groups of five kids in each were fed with concentrate mixture containing 15% and 25% of WWNSKC and another group served as control. They were slaughtered after feeding period of 180 days and dressing yield and dressing percentage were recorded. Muscle biceps femoris was collected and evaluated for physico- chemical properties, organoleptic quality, lipid profile and fatty acid composition. The dressing percentage of kids fed control and test diets were between 43.20 – 43.70. The organoleptic properties like texture, overall acceptability were not affected by feeding WWNSKC. Feeding of WWNSKC influenced the extractability of sarcoplasmic proteins, which resulted in lower fat content. There was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the total saturated fatty acids and increase in the total unsaturated fatty acids. It is concluded that feeding WWNSKC is beneficial for rearing goats as it decreases fat deposition and subsequent reduction in saturated fatty acids. Since it has no adverse effect on meat quality, the WWNSKC can be safely incorporated up to 25% level in the concentrate mixture and may be used as an alternative to costly conventional oil cakes.