Production of young horse meat when pasture and winter grazing housing under the conditions of forest-steppe area of Transbaikal

Abstract

The results of research on the meat productivity of horses, the morphological composition of carcasses, the chemical composition of horse meat, its nutritional value and environmental safety have been presented in the article. The content of vitamins and minerals in young horse meat at the age of 6 and 18 months has been established. The chemical composition of pasture grass has been studied. According to the content of vitamins and minerals the environmental safety of young horse meat corresponds to SanPiN 2,3.2. – 1078–01. The carcass weight in foals aged 6 months was 117,3 kg, the slaughter yield was 54,1 %, and in 18 months the carcass weight was 171,4 kg, the slaughter yield was 53,6 %. The yield of by-products of the 1st category was 3,94 and 4,19 kg, respectively, by age. In foals at the age of 6 months, the weight of muscle tissue was 83,6 kg, fat – 5,3 kg, bone – 22,5 kg, connective tissue – 5,9 kg, and at the age of 18 months, the weight of muscle tissue was 121,4 kg, fat – 10,1 kg, bone – 32,2 kg, connective tissue – 7,7 kg. The results of the average meat sample have shown that the meat of foals at the age of 6 months contains 71,7 % water, 21,0 % protein, 6,2 % fat, 1,1 % ash, the caloric content was 1536,4 kcal, and at the age of 18 months, respectively, 70,4, 21,0, 6,0, 6,8, 1,2 % and 1619,2 kcal. The caloric content of meat was higher than at 6 months of age by 82,8 kcal. The benefits of young horse meat are that the amino acids, vitamins and minerals contained in it contribute to the normalization of metabolism in the human body, and the meat itself is a supplier of high-quality animal protein. It has been established that according to the requirements of environmental safety, horse meat meets the maximum permissible concentration of the studied substances according to regulatory documents.