Evaluation of skin and leather quality in sheep from different genetic groups

• Grant number: 14/19688-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: September 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Mello de Alencar
• Grantee: Laís Lima de Souza
• Host Institution: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/51564-6 - Crossbreeding and management strategies to optimize maternal and reproductive performance of female sheep, for the production of high quality sheep meat and leather, in the Southeast region of Brazil, AP.TEM

Abstract

One of the strategies to increase production is the formation of composite groups that, through the use of heterosis and complementarity among breeds, can contribute to increase efficiency in sheep production. However, the advantages of crossbred over pure animals in the production of good-quality leather depend on the breeds involved in the crossings and on the rearing environment. Sheep leather originating from hair-covered skins has better intrinsic quality as compared with those from skins covered with wool. This superiority is a result of the greater density of collagen fiber bundles in the thermostatic and reticular layers of the skin and the consequent lower follicle density. Thus, we aim to evaluate the contribution of adapted and non-adapted breeds and their composites on the intrinsic quality of sheep leather. (AU)