Variations In Growth Performance, Meat Quality And Consumer Preferences Influenced By Difference Of Breed In Buffalo Bulls (Bubalus Bubalis)

Context Breeds of buffalo (Nili-Ravi and Kundhi) show different growth-rate and meat characteristics. Consumer preferences vary for the selection of meat according to the taste and sensory attributes. Buffalo meat is widely consumed in Asia and multiple buffalo breeds are reared for meat production. Aims The current experiment was designed to compare growth rates, meat characteristics and consumer preference for meat from bulls of different buffalo breeds. Methods Thirty-five male Nili-Ravi buffalo bulls (NRBB) and 35 male Kundhi buffalo bulls (KBB) having an age of 18 +/- 1.56 months and 18 +/- 1.65 months with live bodyweight of 150 +/- 1.98 kg and 149 +/- 2.09 kg respectively, were purchased and reared for 90 days. All animals were slaughtered on the 91st day and samples from M. pectoralis descendance, M. latissimus dorsi and M. obliquus externus abdominis were collected. A consumer preference survey was also conducted to assess the preferences for meat from the buffalo breeds. Key results Results of the survey suggested that for buyers, meat colour was the primary selection criteria (P < 0.05) at the time of purchase. Consumers preferred the lighter-coloured meat of KBB (P < 0.05) than that of NRBB. Conclusions Findings of the study showed that meat from KBB had superior sensory attributes compared with NRBB, although the meat from NRBB was the more nutritious of the two buffalo breeds. Implications The results will provide a focussed view regarding selection of buffalo bulls for meat production.