Characteristics of performance traits and the quality of meat and fat in Polish oat geese

Abstract

Because the production of oat geese in Poland, destined mostly for markets of Western Europe, has increased, there is a need for a review on the performance traits of these geese and on the quality of their meat and fat. Goose production is based on a genotype of Italian geese brought to Poland in 1962 and selected for improving their reproduction and meat traits. Currently the population of geese, their reproduction and the commercial birds derived from them, are referred to as White Kołudzka® geese. Selection of these birds is based on a programme based on genetic improvement of strains W11 (reproduction traits) and W33 (meat traits). The programme's aim is not only to enhance breeding and the performance value of these strains, but to produce, as a result of cross breeding, good quality of meat and fat in the form of the crossbred W31, and thus to produce oat geese that meet today's market requirements. Poland is one of the largest goose producers in Europe. Goose meat and fat show high nutritional quality due to the specific nutrition and conditions in which the geese are kept, i.e. in open-air runs and at pasture. Recently, goose meat has become increasingly popular and has attracted much consumer interest. This increase in demand requires more knowledge about the meat's nutritional value. Polish oat geese are reared up to 14 weeks of age, then fattened freely with oats up to the 17 th week of age. Fattening with oats results in good quality meat and fat, with excellent sensory properties. The following paper reviews the rearing systems, slaughter value and quality of meat and fat of White Kołudzka® geese kept under semi-intensive systems.

The Quality of Carcass and Meat from Geese Fed Diets with or without Soybean Meal

“…Research on goose meat quality is limited, and literature is hardly available. By conducting our research, we wanted to show the results regarding the quality of the finished raw material, produced based on traditional fattening by oat grains (good quality meat and fat with excellent sensory properties [2]).…”

“…Most broiler geese produced in Poland are two-strain crossbreeds designated W31 (White Kołuda ® geese) and they make up over 95% of the local population. These birds are reared for 13 weeks with a normal feed mixture and for the next 3 weeks before slaughter (week 16), according to the traditional method of production technology, they are fattened only on oat grains [2,3]. The basic source of protein in poultry feeds is imported soybean meal (mainly GMO).…”

Microbiological Analysis of Dried Goose Carcasses

“…T he data in the literature indicates that most of the studies about goose focus on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of different goose breeds (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28). To our knowledge, compared to the other meat types, few studies have been conducted regarding goose meat microbiology and quality in Turkey and in other countries (9,10,13,(29)(30)(31)(32).…”

Quality and Physicochemical Traits of Carcasses and Meat from Geese Fed with Lupin-Rich Feed

“…They are reared for 13 weeks, and for the last 3 weeks before slaughter, fattened on oats. There is a possibility to rear younger geese for slaughter, which includes 10-11 weeks without fattening by oats [1][2][3]. Meat quality is an important issue for potential consumers.…”

“…The diet of young oat geese (commercial: White Kołuda ® geese) should contain 22.0-15.0% of crude protein and 12-11.7 MJ of metabolizable energy (ME) [3][4][5][6]. These geese are a crossbreed (W31) of two strains (W11 × W33) and characterized by a good quality of meat and fat in carcasses, which adds to the flavor of meat [1]. Soybean meal (SBM) is a popular protein-rich component of feed used in poultry diets.…”