Dietary Cassava Roots Modified by Heat‐Moisture Treatment Improve Performance, Glucose Metabolism, and Carcass Yield in Fattening Goats

Background Heat‐moisture–treated cassava roots (HMC) offer a promising nutritional strategy to enhance energy supply and nutrient utilization in fattening goats, primarily by modifying the starch structure to increase the resistant starch content. However, a comprehensive evaluation of its effects on performance, metabolism, and meat quality remains insufficiently characterized. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of HMC inclusion in goat diets on growth, apparent nutrient digestibility, ruminal ecology, blood biochemistry, carcass yield, and meat quality. Methods Twenty‐four male crossbred Anglo‐Nubian goats were randomly divided into four groups and fed diets containing 0, 100, 200, or 300 g/kg dry matter HMC for 60 days. All treatments were isonitrogenous and included ad libitum access to Napier grass. Results Dietary inclusion of 200 g/kg HMC increased the average daily gain and improved the feed‐to‐gain ratio without affecting total dry matter intake. The apparent nutrient digestibility was not significantly altered (p > 0.05) by the inclusion levels of HMC. Similarly, the ruminal pH remained stable across treatments. Blood glucose concentration declined with 200–300 g/kg HMC inclusion, whereas other biochemical indicators were unaltered. Although the proportion of lean meat was reduced, carcass dressing percentage improved with dietary 300 g/kg HMC. No differences were observed in chemical composition, color, shear force, or pH of meat among the groups. Conclusion Moderate dietary inclusion of HMC, particularly 200 g/kg DM, enhanced growth and carcass yield in fattening goats without compromising meat quality. However, excessive use may reduce apparent protein digestibility and lean meat yield. Thus, HMC inclusion may serve as an effective nutritional strategy to optimize productivity in goat production systems. Future studies should investigate the applicability of these findings in sheep and other large ruminant species.