Characteristics of the carcass of young collared peccary (Pecari Tajacu Linnaeus, 1758) reared in captivity

The collared peccary has potential for meat and leather production. Its production is a sustainable and profitable alternative to traditional livestock. The objective was to evaluate the weights and carcass yields of young collared peccaries and their morphometric characteristics while considering the sex factor. We used 12 collared peccaries, six males and six females, with an initial average weight of 10.8 ±1.07 kg and 156 ±11 days of age, fed with pig feed with 18% crude protein and fruits and vegetables. After slaughter, the carcasses were kept in a cold room at 4 °C for 24 hours. Morphometric evaluations of the carcasses were performed, such as external (ECL) and internal (ICL) carcass length, croup (CW) and thorax (TW) width, leg length (LL), and thorax depth (TD), and the carcass (CCI) and leg (LCI) compactness indices were calculated. Body weight at slaughter (BWS), empty body weight (EBW), hot (HCW) and cold (CCW) carcass weight, hot (HCY) and cold (CCY) carcass yield, pH, temperature, cooling loss (CL), loin eye area (LEA), and commercial cutting yields were estimated. There was a difference in LCI between sexes (P<0.05), with males presenting a higher proportion of muscles. BWS, EBW, and CCW presented differences between sexes (P<0.05), with males being heavier than females. Although there are no significant differences to qualify one sex or the other for slaughter, the characteristics and yields were satisfactory, resulting in a good quality final product.