Influence of age on proximate composition of yak meat

Abstract

The present study revealed that the age of the yak at the time of slaughter influenced significantly the proximate composition of the lean meat. Meat with higher protein and ash contents and minimum water and fat contents could be obtained when the animals were slaughtered at the age of35 years. Yak meat did not differ much in terms of moisture, total protein and ash contents, and the differences in the fat content might be attributed to the breed characteristics and the managemental practices followed in a particular yak rearing area. The overall mean contents ofmoisture, protein, fat and ash as observed in the present study were 76.23,20.81, 1.52 and 1.01%, respectively.