Carcass and meat quality characteristics from Iberian wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) hunted at different ages

The effect of age and sex on carcass traits and body composition of Hungarian yearling farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus)

Carcass characteristics were studied in 80 young Hungarian red deer in different ages (12, 15, 18 and 20 months of age). In all age group 10 male and 10 female were slaughtered. The dressed carcass weight in skin varied between 53.72 and 65.66% of live weight. The first class lean meat varied between 14.3 and 16.6% of live weight. The live weight, carcass weight increased with the age and differed also between sexes. The highest dressing percentages were found at 20 months of age in both sexes (♂: 65.7%, ♀: 62.5%). Mainly the hinds had higher loin, leg and shoulder proportions of carcass at 20 months of age than the stags. The carcass muscle, bone and fat content were measured by computer tomography. These traits were grown and their proportion changed with the age. The bone to muscle ratio gradually decreased with the age while the fat to muscle ratio increased after 15 months of age (♂: from 0.13 to 0.17, ♀: from 0.15 to 0.18). At 18 month of age the hinds had higher bone to muscle and fat to muscle ratio than the stags'. The fat percentage of carcasses increased with the age in both sexes (♂: from 8.01% to 11.04%, ♀: from 8.40% to 11.28%). The hinds had higher values than the stags but it was significant just at 20 months of age. From the meat quality attributes there were found differences between ages in the case of pH, lightness, drip loss, cooking loss and shear force. The highest pH was found at 12 months of age in both sexes. There were found 5% intermediate pH (6.2 < pH < 5.8) at 12 and 15 months of age, all of them were male. The highest lightness values were observed at 18 months of age in both sexes (♂: 13.47, ♀: 14.90). There were differences between sexes in pH at all ages, except 15 months of age, and at 18 months of age in redness and lightness. Based on our results, the optimal slaughtering time for Hungarian red deer is 20 months of age, because this is when the dressing percentage is the best for both sexes. Meat quality traits changed with age, and gender differences sexes were the most pronounced for these traits at 18 months of age.

Seasonal Variation in the Body Composition, Carcass Composition, and Offal Quality in the Wild Fallow Deer (Dama dama L.)

The goal of this study was to examine the seasonal variation in the body composition, carcass composition, and quality of edible internal organs from the fallow deer hunt-harvested in the summer (n = 9) and the winter (n = 10) seasons. The weight and proportion of the mesenteric and omental fat were greater for the animals harvested in the winter (1.12 kg and 2.75%) compared to those from the summer season (0.43 kg and 1.02%). The winter-harvested animals had more perinephric fat (0.75 kg and 1.84%) than those hunted in summer (0.26 kg and 1.84%). The gastrointestinal tract of the fallow deer hunted in summer was more filled with feed and therefore heavier (7.92 kg) compared to those from the winter season (5.16 kg). The proportion of fat was significantly greater in the carcasses obtained in winter compared to the summer season (6.55% vs. 3.79%). No seasonal variety was found in the physicochemical characteristics of the edible offal, but the content of extractable fat was significantly affected by the season. In conclusion, the effect of the season on the slaughter value of the hunt-harvested fallow deer was limited to a variation in the proportion of some of the internal organs and affected the fat deposition in the body of the examined animals. The season significantly affected the fat content in the carcass and the extractable fat content in the examined offal.

Dynamic alterations in protein, sensory, chemical, and oxidative properties occurring in meat during thermal and non-thermal processing techniques: A comprehensive review

Meat processing represents an inevitable part of meat and meat products preparation for human consumption. Both thermal and non-thermal processing techniques, both commercial and domestic, are able to induce chemical and muscle's proteins modification which can have implication on oxidative and sensory meat characteristics. Consumers' necessity for minimally processed foods has paved a successful way to unprecedented exploration into various novel non-thermal food processing techniques. Processing of meat can have serious implications on its nutritional profile and digestibility of meat proteins in the digestive system. A plethora of food processing techniques can potentially induce alterations in the protein structure, palatability, bioavailability and digestibility via various phenomena predominantly denaturation and Maillard reaction. Apart from these, sensory attributes such as color, crispness, hardness, and total acceptance get adversely affected during various thermal treatments in meat. A major incentive in the adoption of non-thermal food processing is its energy efficiency. Considering this, several non-thermal processing techniques have been developed for evading the effects of conventional thermal treatments on food materials with respect to Maillard reactions, color changes, and off-flavor development. Few significant non-thermal processing techniques, such as microwave heating, comminution, and enzyme addition can positively affect protein digestibility as well as enhance the value of the final product. Furthermore, ultrasound, irradiation, high-pressure processing, and pulsed electric fields are other pivotal non-thermal food processing technologies in meat and meat-related products. The present review examines how different thermal and non-thermal processing techniques, such as sous-vide, microwave, stewing, roasting, boiling, frying, grilling, and steam cooking, affect meat proteins, chemical composition, oxidation, and sensory profile.

Integrated analysis of lncRNA and gene expression in longissimus dorsi muscle at two developmental stages of Hainan black goats

It is deemed that meat quality of kids’ is better than that of adults’ for Hainan black goat. Generally, meat quality is affected by many indicators, such as intramuscular fat (IMF) content, muscle fiber diameter and shear force. It is indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in meat quality of goats. However, it is unclear whether and how lncRNAs and genes play their roles in meat quality of Hainan Black goats. Here, we firstly compared the meat quality between two-month-old kids (kids) and adult goats (adults). Then, the lncRNA-seq and RNA-seq data were integrated and analyzed to explore the potential functions of lncRNAs and genes. The results showed that adults’ IMF content and muscle fiber diameter were extremely significantly higher than that of kids (P<0.01). For the sequenced data, average 84,970,398, and 83,691,250 clean reads were obtained respectively for Kids and adults, among which ~96% were mapped to the reference genome of goats. Through analyzing, 18,242 goat annotated genes, 1,429 goat annotated lncRNAs and 2,967 novel lncRNAs were obtained. Analysis of differential expression genes (DEGs) and lncRNAs (DELs) showed that 328 DEGs and 98 DELs existed between kids and adults. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis revealed that a number of DEGs and DELs were mainly associated with IMF. Primarily, DGAT2 expressed higher in adults than that in kids and CPT1A expressed higher in kids than that in adults. Both of them were overlapped by DEGs and targets of DELs, suggesting the two DEGs and the DELs targeted by the two DEGs might be the potential regulators of goat IMF deposition. Taken together, our results provide basic support for further understanding the function and mechanism of lncRNAs and genes in meat quality of Hainan black goats.

Effectiveness and safety evaluation of graded levels of N-carbamylglutamate in growing-finishing pigs

The aim of this study was as follows: 1) to investigate the effects of graded levels of N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) on performance, blood biochemical indexes, carcass traits and related indicators in growing-finishing pigs, and 2) to determine the optimal supplemental level. The toxicity of high-dose (much higher than recommended levels) NCG was assessed by routine blood tests and blood biochemical and histopathologic examinations of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and stomach. One hundred and forty-four growing-finishing pigs (Duroc × Large White × Landrace, 32.24 ± 1.03 kg) were used in a 74-d experiment and each treatment was replicated 6 times with 4 pigs (2 barrows and 2 gilts) per replicate. The dietary treatments were a corn-soybean meal basal diet supplemented with 0% (control), 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2% or 1% NCG. The first 5 groups were used to explore the optimal supplemental level of NCG, while the control, 0.1% and 1% NCG groups were used to explore the safety of high-dose NCG. Compared with the normal control group, the final body weight and average daily gain tended to be higher in the 0.1% group (P = 0.08), the lean percentage tended to be higher in the 0.05% group (P = 0.07), the levels of free amino acids in the blood significantly increased in the 0.1% group (P < 0.05), both 0.1% and 0.15% NCG supplementation increased the levels of nitric oxide (NO) in serum (P = 0.07) and muscle growth- and lipid metabolism-related gene expression (P < 0.05) and NCG supplementation improved C18:1N9C monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in a dose-dependent manner (P = 0.08). In addition, routine blood tests, blood biochemical indexes and histopathological examination revealed no abnormalities. Overall, increasing the levels of NCG did not linearly improve the above indicators; the 0.1% dose showed the best effect, and a high dose (1%) did not pose a toxicity risk.

The Impact of Premortality Stress on Some Quality Parameters of Roe Deer, Wild Boar, and Red Deer Meat

The specifics of meat production from free-ranging animals include the killing of animals in the wild with firearms. This type of uncontrolled killing sometimes leads to the phenomenon that the game does not die immediately but after a certain time from the shot to death, which may ultimately affect the quality of the meat. During one hunting year on free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) (RD), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) (RoD), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) (WB), the effect of time from shot to death on final pH, water-holding capacity (WHC), water content, and colour (L*, a*, b*) was investigated. All analyses were performed on Musculus biceps femoris (BF). After shooting, the animals were divided into two categories (A = time from shot to death ≤ 1 min; B = time from shot to death > 1 min). In RD, group B had significantly lower (p < 0.05) water content. In RoD, group B had significantly lower (p < 0.05) values of L* and b*. In WB, group B had significantly lower (p < 0.05) L* value and significantly higher (p < 0.05) pH value. The study proves that in BF of the three studied game species, the time extension from shot to death significantly affects the final water content values in RD, L* and b* in RoD and pH and L * in WB.

Consumers' Perception and Preference for the Consumption of Wild Game Meat among Adults in Poland

Wild game meat can be a healthier, safer, and more environmentally friendly alternative to meat from farm animals. The aims of this study were to know the preferences and opinions of Polish consumers regarding game meat and its use in their diet, and to identify consumer segments based on differences in individual game meat choices, concerns, and eating habits related to game meat. The survey was conducted using the platform for online surveys among 1261 adult Poles. Six clusters characterizing the behavior of game consumers were identified (casual consumers, occasional game gourmets, indifferent consumers, occasional consumers, accidental consumers, wild game lovers) and four clusters among those who do not eat game (uninterested, restricted, dislikers, fearful). It has been found that wild game is more often eaten by hunters and their family or friends. The most common reasons for not consuming game are high prices, low availability, no family tradition, and unacceptable taste. Many positive respondents eat game because of its nutritional value but are concerned about the potential health risks and lack of cooking skills. The results of this study indicate the need for information programs for consumers about this meat. They will provide guidance to meat companies about consumer preferences for game and allow them to develop appropriate marketing strategies.

Health-Promoting Properties of the Wild-Harvested Meat of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus L.)

Simple Summary

Due to its chemical composition, roe and red deer meat can be a valuable component of a well-balanced diet for the modern consumer; however, the raw material from the carcasses of animals living in the wild can show differences in nutritional value. The present study provides an analysis of the content of basic nutrients (protein, fat, crude ash), Fe, Cd and Pb and fatty acid profile based on which the health-promoting value of wild-harvested roe deer and red deer meat was evaluated. Sixty carcasses were selected for chemical analysis; 30 of roe deer (15 does and 15 bucks) and 30 of red deer (15 hinds and 15 stags). The study leads to the conclusion that the evaluated meat of roe deer and red deer had high dietary value as it contained a high protein and low fat content and had an advantageous fatty acids composition. The noted content of cadmium and lead in the haunch of roe and red deer was significantly lower than permissible standard values, which corroborates that the meat is healthy and safe for consumers.

Abstract

The present studies aimed to analyse and assess the health-promoting properties of the musculus semimembranosus (MS) of roe and red deer harvested in the wild. The experimental materials comprising the carcasses of roe deer (15 does and 15 bucks) and red deer (15 hinds and 15 stags) were selected for analysis based on the following criteria: age of animals at harvest—3–4 years; time that passed from the harvest of animals to carcass cutting—48–54 h. After chilling the carcasses for 24 h at +2 °C, the haunches were cut from the carcasses and transported to the laboratory in isothermal ice-packed containers. Samples of the musculus semimembranosus were analysed to determine the chemical composition (proximate components, energy value, Fe, Pb, Cd, fatty acids). More (p ≤ 0.05) dry matter and total protein and less (p ≤ 0.05) crude fat was found in the musculus semimembranosus of roe deer in comparison to red deer. No significant influence of the animal’s sex was observed in the content of the evaluated nutrients, apart from crude fat content, which was increased in the haunch of females from both species. The energy content in the muscle of roe deer was 10% higher than the energy value of MS in red deer (p ≤ 0.05). The content of iron was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher (6.64 mg/kg) in the meat of red deer compared to the meat of roe deer (31.68 mg/kg). Roe deer haunch contained more lead but less cadmium than red deer haunch. Irrespective of sex, the lipid fraction of red deer muscle contained more saturated fatty acids (SFA). Intramuscular fat (IMF) in roe deer meat contained a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) index values were significantly lower in roe deer haunch, and the hypocholesterolaemic-to-hypercholesterolaemic fatty acids ratio (HH) was lower (p ≤ 0.05) in red deer meat. To sum up, the evaluated roe deer and red deer haunch featured high dietary value as it contained a high protein and low fat content and had an advantageous fatty acids composition. As regards the content of cadmium and lead, roe deer and red deer haunch can be considered safe for consumers.

Effect of Breed and Finishing Diet on Growth Parameters and Carcass Quality Characteristics of Navarre Autochthonous Foals

Simple Summary

Nowadays, populations are more health conscious and pay more attention to the environmental impact of their food choices. In this context, horsemeat plays a significant role, since it is claimed as “dietetic” meat by researchers. In addition, equine meat production is arousing interest due to its relevant environmental potential. However, several factors have been shown to affect carcass and horsemeat quality. In this sense, our study evaluates the impact of breed (Jaca Navarra and Burguete) and type of finishing diet (conventional diet and silage with organic feed) on carcass traits from Navarre endangered foals. Moreover, considering the limited information about Jaca Navarra foals from a meat production perspective, this work represents a starting point to improve the handling of these equids. Data reported Burguete predominance in growth and in most carcass traits, confirming its remarkable aptitude as a meat producer. However, finishing diet showed to improve Jaca Navarra features. A conventional diet showed a positive effect on the majority of variables studied in comparison with the other diet. Thus, breed and the type of finishing diet demonstrated a crucial role in the improvement and optimization of the majority of productive and carcass traits of these endangered equids.

Abstract

This research was conducted to study the effect of breed, Jaca Navarra (JN) vs. Burguete (BU), and finishing diet, conventional concentrate—diet 1 vs. silage and organic feed diet 2—on growth parameters and carcass characteristics from forty-six foals. Parameters as live weight (LW), average daily gain (ADG), body condition score (BCS), and fat depots were monitoring. In addition, the carcass parameters assessed were: carcass weight (CW), conformation, degree of fatness, morphology, and pH. Moreover, hindquarters of the left-half carcasses were sectioned in the main commercial primal cuts of leg. Results showed a clear “breed effect” in favor of BU foals, recording the highest productive values and carcass traits compared with JN foals. On the other hand, finishing diet contributed to improving the productive and carcass features of JN foals. In particular, diet 1 showed to affect positively the features analyzed compared with diet 2. Nevertheless, the meat primal cuts resulted in being unaffected by the breed and diet effects (except for knuckle), obtaining similar values among the groups of animals.

Inclusion of Healthy Oils for Improving the Nutritional Characteristics of Dry-Fermented Deer Sausage

The influence of partial replacement of animal fat by healthy oils on composition, physicochemical, volatile, and sensory properties of dry-fermented deer sausage was evaluated. Four different batches were manufactured: the control was formulated with animal fat (18.2%), while in the reformulated batches the 50% of animal fat was substituted by olive, canola, and soy oil emulsions immobilized in Prosella gel. The reformulation resulted in a decrease of moisture and fat contents and an increase of protein and ash amount. Moreover, reformulated sausages were harder, darker, and had higher pH values. This fact is related to the lower moisture content in these samples. As expected, the fatty acid composition was changed by the reformulation. The use of soy and canola oils increased polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 content and decreased n-6/n-3 ratio and saturated fatty acids. Thus, the use of these two oils presented the best nutritional benefits. The changes observed in the fatty acids reflected the fatty acid composition of the oils employed in the emulsions. Regarding volatile compounds (VOC), the replacement of animal fat by healthy emulsion gels increased the content of both total VOC and most of individual VOC. However, the lipid-derived VOC did not show this trend. Generally speaking, the control samples presented similar or higher VOC derived from lipid oxidation processes, which could be related to the natural antioxidant compounds present in the vegetable oils. Finally, all reformulated sausages presented higher consumer acceptability than control samples. In fact, the sausage reformulated with soy oil emulsion gel was the most preferred. Thus, as a general conclusion, the reformulation of deer sausages with soy emulsion gel improves both composition and sensory quality of the final product, which could be an excellent strategy to the elaboration of healthy fermented sausages.

Effect of partial replacement of meat by carrot on physicochemical properties and fatty acid profile of fresh turkey sausages: a chemometric approach

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the modification of physicochemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of fresh turkey sausages manufactured including carrot (Daucus carota L.) as a vegetable source (i.e., 10%, 20% and 30%, w/w).

RESULTS

The results were compared with sausages used as controls (i.e., containing 100% turkey meat, w/w). Overall, significant differences were detected for all of the evaluated attributes. The inclusion of 20% and 30% carrot (w/w) in the sausages resulted in a reduction of the lipid content (by 5.42 and 5.26 g/100 g, respectively) and reduced energy value (-7.6%). The color parameters were strongly affected by the inclusion of carrot, recording a significant increase in both redness and yellowness. A reduction of Na content (-47.4% on average) was also observed when experimental carrot sausages were compared with control sausages. Interestingly, a significant reduction in the n-6/n-3 fatty acids ratio was also detected. A multivariate orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) applied to the parameters studied here suggested that the inclusion of carrot provided completely different nutritional and physicochemical profiles, with color parameters possessing the highest discrimination potential.

CONCLUSION

Including carrot in turkey sausages could represent a valuable tool to design healthier meat products. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of sex on carcass yield and meat quality of guinea pig

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sex on carcass yield and meat quality of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). Twenty animals (10 males and 10 females) Criollos, with initial body weight of 286 ± 4.26 g and 2 months of age were distributed in a completely randomized design. The guinea pigs fed a diet based on vegetables and concentrate in a roughage:concentrate ratio of 80:20. After 60 days, animals were slaughtered and their carcasses and meat were evaluated. Males had higher slaughter weight, total weight gain, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, cold carcass yield, meat weight, meat yield, leg weight, loin + flank weight and front weight (P < 0.05). Females showed higher carcass chilling loss, liver yield, cooking loss and protein and ash content in meat (P < 0.05). The use of male guinea pigs for meat production provides higher yields of carcasses, meat and commercial cuts, and lower losses during carcass chilling and meat cooking.

Quality of main types of hunted red deer meat obtained in Spain compared to farmed venison from New Zealand

Deer venison is increasingly valued as a natural meat. This study examines the three main sources of venison: farmed venison from New Zealand (NZ), the world's leading producer, and wild deer from Spain (SP), the second largest producer, which mainly supplies venison from traditional autumn-winter driven hunts (monteria), involving packs of dogs, and a smaller proportion culled through summer selective stalking. Meat from NZ contained more protein, lower shear force and lower n-6/n-3 ratio (P < 0.01). Spanish meat had a greater content of total, essential and non-essential amino acids (P < 0.01). Meat from deer culled in winter had lower intramuscular fat and saturated fatty acids (FA) but higher polyunsaturated FA (P < 0.01) and pH (P < 0.001) than meat from summer stalked deer. Therefore, venison presents differences by country of origin for composition, FA and texture that are likely to affect its health characteristics. Anomalies observed in meat between the winter driven hunt and non-stressful summer stalking may be attributed to the level of death stress in the case of variables such as pH. However, the effect on fat and mineral composition seems to be seasonal, depending respectively on wild diet or cyclic osteoporosis in males.

Physicochemical Composition and Nutritional Properties of Deer Burger Enhanced with Healthier Oils

Deer meat is characterized by low fat and cholesterol contents and high amounts of protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this regard, the aim of this work was to assess the influence of pork backfat substitution by healthier oils on chemical composition, fatty acid profile, texture profile and sensory analysis of deer burger. In addition, pH, color parameters and lipid oxidation were evaluated at 0, 6, 12 and 18 days of storage. For this study, four different treatments of deer burgers-100% pork backfat, 100% tiger nut oil, 100% chia oil, and 100% linseed oil-were elaborated. The fat replacement reduced fat and protein contents and increased moisture amounts, whereas ashes and texture parameters of deer burgers were not affected. Fatty acid profile was significantly improved with the animal fat replacement. In this regard, a significant decrease in saturated fatty acids was found in all reformulated batches, whereas in chia and linseed burger samples a dramatic increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 content and a reduction of n-3/n-6 ratio was observed. In the deer burger prepared with tiger nut oil a significant increase in monounsaturated fatty acids was found. Another important aspect is that the replacement of animal fat by tiger nut or linseed oil emulsion did not affect the global acceptance of deer burgers. Regarding color parameters, redness was the most affected during the whole display presenting a reduction around 50% after 18 days of storage. On the other hand, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were also affected by fat replacement and storage time, observing the highest values (2.43 mg MDA/kg) in deer burgers prepared with chia at the end of refrigerated period. Finally, from a commercial point of view, the possibility of making claims such as "low fat burgers", "reduced saturated fat" or "high content of omega-3" makes the reformulated burgers more attractive to the consumer.

The influence of habitat and sex on feral fallow deer meat lipid fraction

BACKGROUND

The study tested the hypothesis that habitat and sex influence the composition of meat lipid fraction. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the effects of habitat and sex on feral fallow deer (Dama dama) tenderloin (psoas major muscle) intramuscular fat composition.

RESULTS

Fallow deer meat from the Atlantic forest presented higher total cholesterol and total monounsaturated fatty acids contents, while fallow deer meat from Montado presented significantly higher proportion of total branched chain fatty acids, n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and dimethyl acetals. Regarding the sex influence on meat's fatty acid composition, it was observed that female fallow deer displayed higher contents of total saturated fatty acids than their male counterparts.

CONCLUSION

Independently of the habitat the feral fallow deer's meat can be classified as extra lean. However, the high peroxidability index and the low total vitamin E content suggests that it is prone to lipid peroxidation. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison of the effect of freeze-dried acid whey on physicochemical properties of organic fermented sausages made from beef and fallow deer meat

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of freeze-dried acid whey on physicochemical properties and microbial changes of organic fermented sausages made from beef and fallow deer meat. Five formulations of sausages from each species were made. The results show that processing time and species of meat were the high significant factor on tested parameters. Variants and interactions between main factors influenced at different levels of significance on some tested attributes. At the end of processing fallow deer sausages were characterised by the lower pH (4.79 ± 0.01-4.90 ± 0.02 for fallow deer and 5.04 ± 0.00-5.25 ± 0.03 for beef sausages) and the content of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (1.54 ± 0.09-2.81 ± 0.23 and 1.64 ± 0.15-5.06 ± 0.25 respectively) than sausages made from beef meat. In conclusion, the addition of freeze-dried acid whey in varying amounts did not significantly affect the physicochemical characteristics of sausages from both fallow deer and beef. However, further research is needed to compare the effect of acid whey on the nutritional values of raw fermented sausages from fallow deer and beef.

A proteomic-based approach for the search of biomarkers in Iberian wild deer (Cervus elaphus) as indicators of meat quality

The positive perception of deer meat among consumers is growing. Consequently, further efforts are needed to control its meat quality. Specifically, the aim of this study was to search protein biomarkers in connection with tenderness and intramuscular fat (IMF) content of Iberian wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) meat. Twelve venison samples classified as tender, intermediate and tough meat, as well as with different IMF were studied, using quantitative proteomic by SWATH-MS combined with bioinformatic analyses. The study of muscle proteome showed significant differences among these three groups of meat samples, since five differentially abundant proteins (IVD, LAMB1, MYL3, SDHC and SDHA) and six (FABP4, IVD, LAMB1, MYL3, CRYZ and SERPINB6) were strongly correlated with tenderness and IMF, respectively. The proteomic approach provides protein biomarkers linked to venison meat quality and marked changes in proteins related to oxidoreductase complex in skeletal muscle. SIGNIFICANCE: Meat tenderness and IMF are major concerns in game meat. The proteomic approach demonstrated a strong correlation between proteins and these quality traits, despite the complexity of samples (wild animals hunted at different ages). Our results suggest that several proteins can be biomarkers and provide a molecular insight.

The Effect of Barley and Lysine Supplementation of Pasture-Based Diet on Growth, Carcass Composition and Physical Quality Attributes of Meat from Farmed Fallow Deer (Dama dama)

Fallow deer (Dama dama) are important meat producing species providing venison and other products to an international market. The present study investigated the effects of different feed rations on the growth, carcass characteristics and physical attributes of the longissimus lumborum (LL) and semitendinosus (SET) muscles of 45 farm-raised male fallow deer. The animals were divided into three separate groups: 15 pasture-fed (P), 15 pasture-fed and supplemented with barley (B), and 15 pasture-fed and supplemented with barley and lysine (BL). The animals were slaughtered at an average age of 17 months at three time points: after 155, 169 and 183 days on feed. The addition of barley to the feed ration significantly increased weight gain and had positive effects on slaughter and carcass weights, dressing-out proportion, carcass composition, the weight of LL muscle, and increased the redness, yellowness and chroma values of LL muscle. The supplementation with lysine reduced the amounts of carcass and internal fats without compromising other economically important traits.