Carcass quality and causes of carcass condemnation of cattle slaughtered in Kampala city abattoirs

Abstract

Beef production is a very important sector in Uganda. However, there is limited information on the quality of beef carcasses produced and the major causes of carcass condemnations. Hence the evaluation of beef carcass quality traits is relevant for consumers, cattle and meat packers. This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of carcasses produced in Kampala city abattoirs and the major causes of carcass condemnations. Data was collected on a total of 204 cattle carcasses, 101 which were from Kalerwe abattoir, 70 from KCCA abattoir and 33 from Wankulukuku abattoir using tables. Analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) program. The findings showed that majority of the animals slaughtered in Kampala city originate from western Uganda (38%) with Kiruhura district (20.26%) contributing most of the animals. 71.1% of the slaughtered animals were female and 28.9% male. Majority of the animals slaughtered (35.3%) were aged 2-3 years. The average slaughter weight, hot carcass weight and dressing percentage were 286.53kg, 144.91kg and 50.07% respectively. The slaughter weight, hot carcass weight and dressing percentage (P>0.05) did not vary significantly between the three abattoirs. 56.4% of the carcasses were in the good grade, 39.2% had a marbling score of slight, 68.6% had a fat color of cream and 34.8% had a fat score of average. The results also showed the major causes of liver condemnations were; fasciolosis (26%); hydatid cysts (4.9%); calcified cysts (2.9%), the major causes of lung condemnation were; hydatid cysts (5.4%), the major causes of partial carcasses condemnation were; injection sites (8.8%); bruising (4.4%); abscess (1.5%); calcified cysts, the major causes of total carcass condemnation were; TB (0.5%).