Composition of Nguni Goat Meat—An Underutilised Indigenous Food †
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091237
Published: 4 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Abstract
:Introduction: Diets lack diversity, and the consumption of a few energy-dense cash crops is increasing. Nguni goats are an underutilised, indigenous source of red meat in sub-Saharan Africa. They survive in semi-arid and arid areas with little to no agricultural input. The nutritional contribution of Nguni goat meat is not well researched and documented from a food and nutrition security perspective. Objective: To determine the composition of Nguni goat meat, in comparison with other red meat species in the South African diet, focusing on the fatty acid profile. Method: The nutritional analyses, including the proximate analysis, minerals, and the fatty acid profile of Nguni goat meat from three different regions in South Africa, was performed and compared with other red meat species in the diet. Results: Values reported for moisture (74.2 g/100 g), ash (1.02 g/100 g) and protein (19.5%) are similar to other sources of red meat, with the total fat content (4.4%) being slightly lower. Nguni goat meat is a good source of iron (2.89 mg/100 g) and zinc (4.02 mg/100 g). Furthermore, the values reported for saturated fatty acids (2.55 g/100 g), monounsaturated fatty acids (1.51 g/100 g), polyunsaturated fatty acids (0.36 g/100 g) and cholesterol (5 mg/100 g) content of indigenous goat meat were lower than other red meat species. However, the percentage of saturated fatty acids (57.7%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (34.2%) to total fat is similar to other red meat sources but higher for polyunsaturated fatty acids (8.14%). Stearic acid (C18:0) (1.10 g/100 g) is the most prevalent saturated fatty acid, elaidic acid (C18:1t9) (0.11 g/100 g) is the most prevalent monounsaturated fatty acid and linoleic acid (C18:22 n6) (0.23 g/100 g) is the most prevalent polyunsaturated fatty acid. The omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids content is 0.07% and 0.25%, respectively. The majority of the PUFA’s is linoleic acid (C18:22 n6) and is similar to values reported for beef. Conclusions: Goat meat is a nutritious underutilised indigenous, food source that can contribute toward increasing dietary diversity, thereby improving nutrition and food security in sub-Saharan Africa.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, Z.V., B.P. and H.S.; methodology, Z.V., B.P. and H.S.; software, Z.V.; validation, Z.V., B.P. and H.S.; formal analysis, Z.V.; investigation, Z.V.; resources, Z.V.; data curation, Z.V.; writing—original draft preparation, Z.V.; writing—review and editing, Z.V., B.P. and H.S.; visualization, Z.V.; supervision, B.P. and H.S.; project administration, Z.V.; funding acquisition, Z.V. and B.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)/National Research Foundation (NRF) South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) in the National Development Plan Priority Area of Nutrition and Food Security (Unique number: SARCI170808259212), and Red Meat Research and Development of South Africa. The grant holders acknowledge that opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in any publication generated by NRF-supported research are those of the author(s) and that the NRF accepts no liability.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The animal study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of University of Pretoria (protocol code NAS130/2019 approved on 14 October 2020).
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Data are contained within the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Veldsman, Z.; Pretorius, B.; Schönfeldt, H. Composition of Nguni Goat Meat—An Underutilised Indigenous Food. Proceedings 2023, 91, 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091237
AMA Style
Veldsman Z, Pretorius B, Schönfeldt H. Composition of Nguni Goat Meat—An Underutilised Indigenous Food. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):237. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091237
Chicago/Turabian StyleVeldsman, Zani, Beulah Pretorius, and Hettie Schönfeldt. 2023. "Composition of Nguni Goat Meat—An Underutilised Indigenous Food" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091237
