Researchers at the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa say zebra meat can be a valuable protein source and contribute to food security especially in rural communities in the southern Africa country.
In a research paper titled; A Descriptive Study on the Carcass, Muscle, and Offal Yields of the Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) Harvested in Two Seasons, the researchers Angelique Myburg, Helet Lambrechts and Louwrens Christiaan Hoffman said zebras are known to produce nutritious lean meat.
"Horses are known for producing highly nutrient-dense, lean meat, with high dressing percentages. An African equine species with promising production potential is the Plains zebra, which has received very little attention in this regard," they said.
"The Plains zebra is known to produce nutritious lean meat, but little is known about the carcass composition. Due to its natural resistance to foot-and-mouth disease and the lack of current meat export restrictions for African Horse Sickness, Plains zebra meat is a game meat that can thus be exported from South Africa.
"This makes it an ideal species for meat production, with the game meat industry being heavily focused on growth, expansion, and formalization. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the meat production potential of the Plains zebra by investigating carcass characteristics as well as meat and offal contributions."
The scientists added that meat derived from game animals is a well-known and upcoming protein source in South Africa.
"It forms part of the consumptive use in the game industry and is actively being introduced in local well-known South African retail stores. Game species that are adapted to survive in harsh environments while producing quality meat is considered suitable for meat production.
"When farmed on marginal lands, game species produce meat with a higher return rate than conventional livestock farming. The Plains zebra is physiologically and behaviourally adapted to survive in semi-arid conditions with low-quality forage. They achieve this by having a hindgut digestive system that enables them to digest forage low in protein and high in structural carbohydrates, i.e., the long, tough stems and grass in the early stages of flush.
"Plains zebra are capable of digesting cellulose at a faster rate than ruminants on the same terrain and can extract more protein from poor quality grass than ruminants such as the wildebeest. The Plains zebra is normally the first to venture into wetter, more wooded and taller pastures, acting as a pioneer for grassland biodiversity, and because of this, allows for the utilisation of forage by subsequent species such as antelope and wildebeest."
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