Comparison of Carcass and Meat Quality Obtained from Mule and Donkey.
Authors: Polidori Paolo, Vincenzetti Silvia, Pucciarelli Stefania, Polzonetti Valeria
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Meat Quality Comparison Between Mules and Donkeys Polidori and colleagues examined carcass yields and meat composition in ten male crossbred donkeys and ten male mules at slaughter (16 ± 1 years), analysing muscle samples from the Longissimus thoracis to determine differences in nutritional value and physical properties relevant to meat production. Mules demonstrated superior carcass weight and dressing percentage, whilst donkey meat contained higher intramuscular fat; conversely, mule muscle showed elevated glycogen content, greater collagen deposition, and increased shear force values—the latter suggesting tougher meat despite higher iron content. Donkey meat proved nutritionally superior in essential amino acid composition (52.2% versus 50.1%), whilst mule muscle exhibited darker colour characteristics with lower lightness (L*) and higher redness (a*) indices. Both species yielded meat with chemical and physical profiles consistent with other equid species, though these differences merit consideration when formulating feeding protocols or assessing meat quality targets in working equid populations approaching end-of-life. For practitioners involved in equine nutrition or health management, understanding tissue composition variations between species may inform conditioning strategies and post-mortem evaluation standards.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Mules and donkeys produce meat with different chemical and physical characteristics; mule carcasses yield more meat but donkey meat has superior amino acid profile for nutritional purposes
- •Color parameters and mineral content differ between species, which may affect meat quality perception and nutritional value in food production contexts
- •Both species produce meat with composition similar to other equids, supporting their viability as alternative livestock for meat production
Key Findings
- •Mules had significantly higher carcass weight and dressing percentage compared to donkeys (p < 0.05)
- •Donkey meat contained higher fat content while mule meat had higher glycogen and total collagen content
- •Mule Longissimus thoracis muscle showed higher shear force values, lower lightness (L*), higher redness (a*), and higher iron content than donkey muscle
- •Donkey meat contained higher essential amino acids (52.2%) compared to mule meat (50.1%)