Abstract
The present study was conducted to investigate the carcass characteristics and meat quality in four Saudi camel breeds. Four young male camel breeds were used (Majaheem, Suffr, Sho'l and Wodoh) 6-9 months old with average weight 133.83 +/- 2.83 kg. Animals were group fed of three animals in four replicates for each breed. A balanced energy/protein ration was used to ensure that animals get their nutrient requirements using ad lib twice feeding system. When animals slaughtered, carcass characteristics were measured to evaluate meat quality. The results obtained from growth trial indicated that the slaughter weight of animals after 204 days was 292.33 +/- 6.65, 278.17 +/- 11.36, 284.35 +/- 21.89 and 270.35 +/- 10.69 kg for Majaheem, Wodoh, Suffr and Sho'l, respectively. At slaughter, the hot carcass weight was 176.38, 164.78, 170.21 and 164.9 kg for Majaheem, Wodoh, Suffr and Sho'l, respectively. Dressing percentage was 59.37, 57.88, 58.76 and 60.00% for Majaheem, Wodoh, Suffr and Sho'l, respectively. There were no any significant differences between breeds in most parts of the carcass muscle area especially color of Longissimus dorsi muscle, shear force and chemical analysis of meat.