ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to develop predictive equations for carcass characteristics and primal cut weights of native Mexican guajolotes using body measurements (BM). For this study, a total of 36 male guajolotes (Meleagris gallopavogallopavo), aged 6 to 10 months, and mean slaughter body weight (SBW) of 4543.14 ± 656.60 g, were used. The birds were kept under traditional extensive conditions. ThefollowingBMswererecorded24 h before slaughter: thoracicperimeter (TP), body circumference (BC), body length (BL), wing length (WL), keel length (KL), shank length (SL) and shank diameter (SD). After slaughter, hot carcass weight (HCW), cold carcass weight (CCW), hot dressing percentage (HDP), cold dressing percentage (CDP), organs and viscera weight (VIS) and abdominal fat weight (AFW) were recorded. The carcasses were dissected in to five primal cut (breast, thigh, drumstick, back and wing). The SBW and BMs showed moderate to high positive correlations (p<0.01; 0.34≤r<0.97) with carcass characteristics and primal cut weights. In the equations generated to predict HCW, CCW, HDP, CDP, VIS and AFW, the R2 ranged from 0.40 to 0.96, and the predictor variables were SBW, KL, BC, WL and SL. Regarding the equations developed to predict the primal cut weights, R2 ranged from 0.58 to 0.91. In these models, SBW, BC, SD, WL and KL explained most of the observed variation. The prediction equations obtained in the study had moderate to high accuracy; therefore, they can be used by researchers, technicians and poultry producers to obtain information on the carcass composition of native Mexican guajolotes.
Keywords:
Body measurements; carcass characteristics; mathematical equations; native guajolotes; primal cut weights