The Possibility of Including Donkey Meat and Milk in the Food Chain: A Southern African Scenario.

Animal proteins are essential for the optimal growth and health of humans. Meat and milk are common sources of protein, mostly produced by ruminants. The agrarian challenges experienced around the world warrant sourcing alternative proteins from animals that can withstand harsh environmental conditions to produce quality proteins. Donkeys (Equus asinus) are known to survive on low husbandry and inferior quality forage to produce meat and milk, which have been used since ancient times. However, the commercialisation of these products has not flourished due to product scarcity, low production rates, and consumer preferences. Recent discoveries and the quest to look for alternative sources of protein have sparked studies on donkey products. In addition, milk and meat from donkeys have active ingredients that could also contribute to curing diseases. Donkey milk is believed to contain antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, and antidiabetic properties. In many countries, particularly in Africa, the consumption of donkey meat and milk has not been fully adopted due to a lack of knowledge and legislation regarding production.

Meat Quality Parameters of Boschveld Indigenous Chickens as Influenced by Dietary Yellow Mealworm Meal.

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) meal inclusion in diets of indigenous chickens. A total of 160 mixed-sex indigenous Boschveld chickens were randomly divided into four categories: control soybean meal (SBM) and yellow mealworm with percentage levels of 5, 10 and 15 (TM5, TM10 and TM15, respectively). Five replicate pens per treatment were used, with eight birds per pen/replicate. On day 60, two birds from each replicate were slaughtered and eviscerated. Meat quality parameters were measured out on raw carcass and cooked breast meat. The carcass weight, breast weight and gizzard weight of the control group was higher (p < 0.05) than the treatment group (TM15). The cooking loss was lower (p < 0.05) in the SBM control group but higher in the TM15 group. Colour characteristics of breast meat before cooking was lighter in the TM10 and TM15 group, ranged from 61.7 to 69.3 for L* and was significant (p < 0.05). The TM10 and TM15 groups showed a lighter colour than the SBM and TM5 groups. The breast meat pH taken after slaughter was different (p < 0.05) in TM5 and TM15, with the highest reading (pH 6.0) in the TM5 group. In conclusion, our experiment indicated that dietary Tenebrio molitor in growing Boschveld indigenous chickens' diets could be considered a promising protein source for Boschveld indigenous chickens.