The work was conducted at the Sheep Production Sector of the Animal Science Department of the UFLA in Lavras with a view to determining the chemical composition of Santa Ines and Bergamacia lambs carcass cuts (leg, loin, ribs and breast), relative to the empty body weight. Thirty-six non-castrated, male lambs were used, 24 of them being Santa Ines and 12 Bergamacia, slaughtered when they reached 15, 25, 35 and 45 kg of live weight. The lambs were confined in individual cages, where they were fed ad libitum until the moment of slaughter. Removal of the skin and evisceration were performed, weighing the digestive tract, bladder and gall bladder, full and empty, to determine empty body weight. The carcass was cooled (2 °C) for a 24-hour period and, after the neck was removed, it was sectioned into symmetric halves. In half of the carcass, division in cuts was preceded, from which leg, loin, ribs and breast were utilized for the analysis of the chemical composition. The best moment to slaughter the Santa Ines and Bergamacia lambs would be in the range of 25 and 35 kg of live weight, where cuts would present the best ratios of water, protein, fat and minerals, reflecting better quality.
rib; rack; fat; loin; leg; protein
