Buffalo as a potential food animal

Indian sub-continent is the home tract of world buffaloes. Buffalo is the only potential animal that can boost meat industry in India. Buffalo meat is the healthiest meat among red meats known for human consumption since it is low in calories and cholesterol. Buffalo meat is well comparable to beef in many of the physicochemical, nutritional, functional properties and palatability attributes. Meat from buffalo is called by various terminologies in different countries according to the age of slaughter. Buffaloes have a unique ability to utilise coarse feeds, straws and crop residues converting them into protein rich lean meat. The carcass composition varies with dressing percentage of buffalo carcasses. The dark buffalo meat possesses good binding properties and is preferred in product manufacture. Buffalo meat is the major item of Indian animal product export. Adequate nutrition and improved levels of hygiene at meat handling will enable India a quantum jump in meat production by utilizing the surplus male calves. Massive developmental programmes have to be launched to produce meat as the principal commodity from buffaloes for substantially increasing the livestock economy of the country.