Some Factors Affecting the Quality of Meat from Ruminants and Their Relevance to the Tanzanian Meat Industry - Review

Abstract

Parameters indicative of quality of meat from ruminants are reviewed, highlighting the importance of productive, pre-slaughter and post-slaughter factors on meat quality. Further, means for obtaining quality meat under Tanzanian conditions are pointed out. Meat quality encompasses various attributes ranging from carcass composition to health and production-related issues including animal welfare. These attributes can be manipulated to man's advantage at different stages of obtaining meat. Therefore good livestock practices in production chains including development and implementation of standards and code of conducts in feeding, transportation, slaughter meat sales and processing chains should be established. Moreover, meat quality improvement should be undertaken in a holistic manner, looking at the whole product obtaining systems rather than each individual production chain. To achieve this, there is a need to design a serious follow up mechanism to ensure that regulations associated with new technologies or policies are adhered to.

Keywords: Meat quality, production factors, technological factors, critical checkpoints

Tanzania J.Agric.Sc. (2007) Vol. 8 No.2, 173 -192