Influence of Singeing Materials on Post-Singeing Temperature, Ph Decline, Retail Characteristics, and Malondialdehyde Status in Chevon During Cold Storage

This study examined the effects of singeing materials (kerosene, hardwood, scrape-tyre, and liquefied-gas) on various aspects of chevon (goat meat) from singed carcasses stored at 0°C for three weeks. Twelve Red Sokoto buck goats (14-16 kg) were randomly assigned to the treatments, with three replications in a randomized design. The initial post-singeing temperature varied significantly (P<0.05), ranging from 45.65°C (tyre) to 56.50°C (kerosene). However, pH levels were similar across all treatments, with Ultimate pH range of 6.00 in hardwood singed-carcass to 6.12 in liquefied-gas singed-carcass. Singeing materials significantly influenced water holding capacity (WHC), ranging from 67.488% to 77.405%. They also had a significant impact (P<0.05) on meat marbling and firmness scores. Analysis revealed low levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA) in singed carcasses, ranging from 0.035 to 0.045 mg MDA/g at 24 hours after singeing. Throughout the 21-day cold storage, all treatments experienced a significant increase in MDA values, ranging from 0.300 to 0.344 mg MDA/g in wood-singed and gas-singed carcasses, respectively. To summarize, singeing materials affected post-singeing temperature, pH decline, water holding capacity, and MDA accumulation in chevon from singed carcasses. These findings provide valuable insights for improving singeing techniques and enhancing meat quality in goat production. Keywords: post-singeing, oxidation, chevon, carcass, products