Effects of Age on Slaughter Performance and Meat Quality of Shanbei White Cashmere Goat and Optimization of Slaughter Strategies

To clarify the age-related differences in growth performance, meat quality, and the underlying molecular mechanisms of Shanbei white cashmere (SWC) goats, the slaughter performance and meat quality of 6-month-old (S group) and 12-month-old (T group) male goats were analyzed. This was combined with muscle transcriptome and untargeted metabolome analyses. The results showed that the T group had better growth performance, while the S group had superior meat quality. A total of 138 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 158 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were identified, which are enriched in multiple pathways, and a meat quality-related gene–metabolite regulatory network was constructed. This study reveals the molecular mechanisms of age-dependent differences, providing theoretical support for goat breeding and slaughter strategy optimization.