## 3 Results and Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Component**} & \multirow{2}{*}{\begin{tabular}{c} **Group I** \\ **(up to 2 Years Old)** \\ \end{tabular} } & \multirow{2}{*}{\begin{tabular}{c} **Group II** \\ **(from 2 to 10 Years Old)** \\ \end{tabular} } & \multirow{2}{*}{\begin{tabular}{c} **Group III** \\ **(from 10 to 10 to** \\ **20 Years Old)** \\ \end{tabular} } & \multirow{2}{*}{\
\begin{tabular}{c} **Group III** \\ **(from 10 to** \\ **20 Years Old)** \\ \end{tabular} } & \multirow{2}{*}{
\begin{tabular}{c} **\(p\)** \\ **(from 20 Years Old)** \\ \end{tabular} } \\ \hline Water content & 76.38  \(\pm\) 1.05 & 0.016 \\ Protein content & 20.02  \(\pm\) 0.68 & 21.57  \(\pm\) 0.25 & 0.035 \\ Fat content & 2.55  \(\pm\) 0.35 & 5.54 [FOOTNOTE:]Footnote : a, b, c: Means with different superscript letters in the same row differed significantly at \(p\leq\) 0.05; means with missing letters or having the same superscript letters in the same row did not significantly differ at \(p\leq\) 0.05.[ENDFOOTNOTE] \(\pm\) 0.32 & 0.0016 \\ Ash content & 1.01 \(\pm\) 0.04 & 1.06 \(\pm\) 0.02 & 1.19 \(\pm\) 0.03 & 0.9 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: Chemical composition of horsemeat depended on age (%). Based on the research, it is evident that the sensory quality of horsemeat clearly depended on the age of the slaughtered animals. The foal meat obtained higher (\(p\leq 0.05\)) point values for all assessed characteristics. The meat obtained from the carcasses of older animals exhibited worse sensory features, with the assigned numerical values for individual features systematically decreasing with age. In all age groups of animals, the smell of horsemeat was assessed as neutral. Moreover, the raw material was assessed as slightly juicy. Juiciness, which is perceived as the dryness or moistness of the product, is among the characteristics that shape a consumer's sensory evaluation. A positive assessment of juiciness is characterized by meat that is sufficiently moist. The moisture content of meat is influenced by many factors, mainly the water content. It can be assumed that the high water content in foal meat positively influences the perceived juiciness of the tested raw material, which is supported by the higher scores for juiciness assigned to meat samples from foals. The tenderness of the foal meat, as well as meat obtained from the carcasses of young and old horses, could be interpreted qualitatively as somewhat tender, as the score values for this feature ranged between 3.09 and 2.82 points. The age of an animal plays a special role in shaping the tenderness of its muscle tissue. The changes accompanying growth and development render the meat of young individuals more tender than that of older ones. Young animals, due to their relatively thin muscle fibers, are characterized by higher tenderness than older animals. This is attributed, on one hand, to the enlargement of the size of the fibers and the production of thicker bundles of fibers, resulting in greater \"meat granularity.\" On the other hand, changes in the nature of the muscle connective tissue also play a significant role. In addition, an important element that should be paid attention to is the maturity of collagen and its ability to dissolve. With age, the nature of connective tissue changes, as collagen undergoes so-called aging. This involves changes in its structure, which are reflected by a decrease in solubility. In mature and older animals, collagen plays the most important role in shaping the tenderness of the meat. The tastiness in group I was estimated at 4.15 points, which should be interpreted as desirable. In contrast, the tastiness in the remaining age groups was defined as intermediate between neutral and desirable, with scores of 3.98 points and 3.95 points, respectively. The tastiness of meat is determined by its pH. At higher pH levels, meat exhibits a less intense flavor and aroma, appears less salty, and is perceived as less tasty than at lower pH values in analogous muscles of the same animal.