ABSTRACT.
The objective of this work is to identify which carcass and cut characteristics have the best discriminatory power, between sexes and slaughter weights, through discriminant analysis. Were used 32 goats, with initial average weights of 3.11 kg for males and 3.06 kg, for females, for animals slaughtered at 70 days; 3.65 kg for males and 3.25 kg for females for animals slaughtered at 100 days of weight. Objective assessments consisted of morphometric measurements: external carcass length (ECL); internal carcass length (ICL); leg length (LEL); chest width (CHW); croup width (CRW); thigh perimeter (THP); croup perimeter (CRP); chest perimeter (CHP); chest depth (CHD); internal chest depth (ICD) using the hypsometer and flexible tape (Truper®). In the total of 18 primary variables evaluated, the following variables were included in the discriminant model, using the stepwise method: empty body weight, chest depth, chest width, thigh circumference, neck, loin, leg length, and rump width. The discriminant analysis was efficient to discriminate and identify the carcass and cut characteristics with better discriminatory power between the sex and slaughter weight of the animals.
Keywords:
canonical variable; cuts; yields; Mahalanobis; mestizos
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