Iron contents of muscle meat and liver in alpine and Nubian goats

Concentrations of nonheme, heme and total iron in livers and longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris muscles of meat from 13 Alpine and 12 Nubian goats were evaluated by chemical analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and differences in levels of the three forms of iron between breeds, sexes and types of muscle were investigated. The respective mean contents (μg/g wet weight) of nonheme, heme and total iron for the pooled data of Alpine and Nubian goats were 12.9 and 12.4; 30.7 and 24.1; and 45.8 and 37.4, indicating that Alpines had slightly higher levels of iron which were statistically not different from Nubians. Likewise, differences in iron levels between sexes were not significant, although doelings had slightly higher iron contents than bucks. Levels of the three forms of iron in livers, regardless of breeds or sexes, were significantly (P \u3c 0.01) greater than those in the two skeletal muscles. It was concluded from this study and other reports that the nutritional value of goat meat as a source of iron is the same as beef but higher than lamb or pork. © 1988