This document summarizes the carcass characteristics of different meat animals. It describes the typical age at slaughter, color of meat, carcass yield, bone percentage, and meat yield for common meats including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, poultry, rabbit, and deer. For each type of meat, key details are provided on color, fat content, texture, and other distinguishing qualities.

1. CARCASS CHARCTERISTICS OF
DIFFERENT MEAT ANIMAL
Dr.Ashok Kumar Koori
B.V.Sc and A.H.
NDVSU Jabalpur

2. CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMON
MEAT ANIMALS
Species Age at
slaughter
Colour of meat Carcasas
yield(%)
Bone(%) Meat
yield(%)
Cattle
Young 2-3 years Bright red to dark red 30-35 15-20 30-32
Old <3 years Dark red 30-32 17-20 30
Buffalo; young 2-3 years Bright red to dark red 45-48 12-15 35
Old <3 years Dark red 41-45 15-20 30
Sheep 1 year Light pink to dark red 45-48 10-15 30
Goat 1 year Dark pink 45-48 10-15 36
Pig 6 months Greyish pink 70-75 10-15 40
Poultry 5-6 weeks White 70-75 10-12 50
Rabbit 12-14 weeks Bright red with bluish sheen 60-62 10-12 70
Dear meat 7-8 months Bright to dark red 53-60 10-15 45

3. Beaf
• Meat of young bulls is light colour, tender and shows glossy
appearance, but in older animals (above 3years of age) it
becomes darker, coarse with dried appearance shows
intramuscular fat deposition .
• Bullock meat is light to dark red in colour, dull appearance with
prominent marbling of fat . In young animals, fat is white or
whitish yellow and firm. Whereas in older animal it becomes
yellow and loose in consistency .

4. BUFFALO MEAT
Buffalo meat
• Buffalo meat, also know as beuf or carabeef
resembles with beef but is more lean, tender and
has low level of cholesterol. Fat is crystal white
in colour and shows marbling with meat.

5. Veal
• It refers to the meat of calves which are exclusively fed on milk
and slaughtered at the age of 3-4 months. Musculature is poorly
developed with higher water content in flesh.
• Meat is often pale or light pink in colour. Fat is white and jelly
like.
Barley beef
• Calves (after early weaning) are on barley diet along with
mineral and vitamins supplements. The animals are slaughtered
when they attain weight of 90 kg and the meat is called barley
beef, which is tender , juicy, and easily digestible.

6. Mutton
• Mutton refers to the meat of sheep/lamb. It is pale to bright red in
colour and fine in texture. Fat is white, firm, odourless, and not
intermixed with meat.
Chevon
• Goat flesh or chevon resembles mutton, but is dark red and coarse
in texture. Fat is practically absent between the muscles and
subcutaneous tissue. Chevon show typical goaty odour particularly
in males which gets transferred from skin to the carcass during
dressing .

7. Pork
• Pork is derived from pigs. Colour of pork is varies from whitish
grey to red in young pigs to a strong red colour in boar and
sows. Pork is least firm and tender in texture. Deposition of
subcutaneous fat is another characteristic of pig flesh
Horse
• Horse flesh is dark red to bluish in colour which terns rusty
some time after slaughter. Blood is almost black and the odour
is sweet and repulsive. The fat may be yellow, soft and greasy
and not marbled with flesh.

8. Broiler(fryer) meat
• Broiler meat , popularly known as chicken, is
whitish in colour, firm in texture and
characteristically tender. Fat is deposited
subcutaneously. It is tender meated is soft, pliable
and smooth texture skin.

9. Rabbit
• Flesh of rabbit is bright red in colour with bluish sheen,
firm and has sweet smell. Fat is firm and white .
Dear meat
• The flesh of dear is called venison . It is bright to dark
red in colour, low in cholesterol , fat is not marbled
with meat but has distinctive flavour.

10. THANK YOU