Aspectos morfológicos e análise físico-química dos músculos de catetos (Pecari tajacu Linnaeus, 1758) jovens criados em cativeiro.

Abstract

Wildlife in Brazil is an important source of animal protein in some regions. Although the use of this fauna through hunting is illegal, rational exploitation is permitted by law, provided that in registered breeding sites. The collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) is a species with great zootechnical potential for meat and leather production, as it is a species with good adaptability to captivity conditions. Known as caititu, it is listed in the order of Artiodactyla in the Tayassuidae family. They are animals with a brown coloration, with white parts behind the neck obliquely on the shoulders. They are characterized as ungulate animals and their stomach is pluricavitary, similar to ruminants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the meat and carcass characteristics of these animals still in their juvenile phase after weaning, to contribute to the increase of their production and their preservation in the free life. Twelve collared peccaries (6 males and 6 females) with an average age of 5 months (156 ± 11 days) from the Wild Animals Multiplication Center of the Federal Rural University of Semi-arid (UFERSA), Mossoró-RN, were used. Raised in semi-extensive system with nutritional management appropriate to the species.The animals were euthanized by goat and sheep slaughter technique to perform carcass morphometric evaluations as external length, croup width, chest width, carcass internal length, leg length, chest depth, and carcass compactness indices were calculated leg compactness. Carcass and cuts yields, meat centesimal composition (protein, moisture, ashes and ether extract), physicochemical evaluation (pH, color, shear force, water-holding capacity and cooking loss) were evaluated, as well as histological evaluations, of muscles to determine the amount of muscle fiber and collagen tissue. Some parameters were not influenced by the sex of the animal, but it was seen that the meat quality of young collared peccary shows a soft, moist meat with good protein levels, less fat and little collagen in their cuts, and how carcasses are presented, with good muscle indexes and low-fat content.