Meat quality characteristics of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis). 1: Physical meat attributes as influenced by age, gender and production region

Effects of Metabolites, Sex, Sire, and Muscle Type on Chilled Lamb Meat Colour

Meat is an important source of high-value protein providing sustainable nutrition for human health. The discolouration of meat results in significant waste, which threatens the sustainability of meat production in terms of availability, affordability, and utilisation. Advancing the knowledge of factors and underlying mechanisms for meat discolouration supports the sustainability transformation of meat production practices. Previous studies found that colour stability may be associated with signature changes in certain metabolites, including NADH, glutamate, methionine, and testosterone. This study aimed to confirm the effect of these metabolites and sex, sire, and muscle type on lamb meat colour. NADH and glutamate improved colour stability as evidenced by the increased metmyoglobin reductase activity, while methionine and testosterone had detrimental effects. Overall, lamb meat was discoloured with retail display for up to 10 days at 4 °C. The semitendinosus muscle had higher L*, b*, and hue angle and lower a* (p < 0.05) than other muscles, especially in ewes. Lamb meat from rams had a higher L* and hue angle and lower a* than the ewes (p < 0.05), especially in the colour-labile group, suggesting an interaction between sex and sire. The outcomes of this study will help make the production of meat more sustainable by assisting the meat industry in improving the selection of animals for meat production and processing practices to reduce meat waste due to discolouration.

Game Meat Consumption-Conscious Choice or Just a Game?

Game meat is constantly present on the European meat market, but a limited number of consumers are interested in its consumption. Considering the unique features of wild animal meat, we should explore what pushes consumers to include it in their diet. To identify the motives determining the choice of game meat, a quantitative survey based on the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) method was conducted among 450 participants. The statistical analysis based on the logistic regression model allowed us to assess the significance of emotional motives leading to game eating and to investigate the importance of the rational motives related to the quality attributes of game for consumers. It was shown that rational motives influence the consumers’ choice more than emotional factors, while the most important motives are connected with healthcare issues. Consumers, for whom the crucial attributes of quality are taste, nutritional value, and low fat content, constitute a group that might more often include game in their diet in the future. Among the emotional motives, the familiarity, described as a feeling of knowing the product, also has a statistically significant impact on the consumers’ choice. The results obtained may be useful for academic theoreticians and market experts as well.

Carcass Yields and Physicochemical Meat Quality Characteristics of Namibian Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) as Influenced by Muscle, Sex and Age

This investigation determined the carcass yields of Namibian springbok and compared the physicochemical meat quality characteristics of 6 different muscles (biceps femoris, infraspinatus, Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and supraspinatus) from different sex and age groups. Although the adult male slaughter weights (40.44 ± 1.88 kg) did not differ from that of the adult female slaughter weights (36.61 ± 0.50), the adult males were heavier than both sexes from the sub-adults. No differences were observed for dressing percentages between sex nor age groups. The infraspinatus muscle showed the lowest shear force values in adult male springbok and in both sub-adult male and female springbok and can be described as the more tender muscle. The infraspinatus and Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles of the adult male springbok group showed the lowest cooking losses. The supraspinatus and semitendinosus muscles from the sub-adult groups tended to have the highest L* and thus the lightest meat. No major differences were observed for protein content between the different sex and age groups although the muscles of the different sex and age groups had a noticeably higher fat content (above 3%). Discriminant analysis revealed no differentiation among the different muscle groups for the variables measured. Neither springbok sex nor age influenced any of the meat quality parameters although older animals tended to have heavier carcasses, therefore the decision of which sex and/or age group to cull will depend on the springbok management strategy.

Carcass and meat characteristics from farm-raised and wild fallow deer (Dama dama) and red deer (Cervus elaphus): A review

Deer species are utilised for food, hunting and other products throughout the world. Consumers are typically exposed to venison derived predominantly from both farm-raised or wild fallow (Dama dama) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). The production of venison under farm conditions, compared to the meat of deer hunted in the wild, allows for a regular supply of a consistently good meat. It is lean, tasty, and rich in proteins and minerals, with a low content of fat and cholesterol. Overall, the worldwide demand for meat is still growing, and both the potential of farming deer species and their use as meat producers have led to an increased interest in venison. The current knowledge about various factors (e.g. nutrition, age, sex, condition, season) affecting venison and game meat has significantly increased during past decades but information regarding the interaction between production system or pre- and post-slaughter handling and ultimate deer meat quality are still very limited.

Exogenous and Endogenous Factors Influencing Color of Fresh Meat from Ungulates

Biochemistry of post-mortem muscle tissue is complex, and several factors affect the fresh meat color and color stability, both of which influence consumer acceptance. Therefore, improving meat color and meat color stability is of significant value to the meat industry and consumers. While extensive literature is available on the color and color stability of domestic ungulates, literature on wild ungulates is notably lacking. With an increasing global demand for meats from wild ungulates, it is critical to identify the knowledge gaps regarding their color and color stability. The objective of this paper is to overview the exogenous and endogenous factors influencing the color and color stability of fresh meats from domestic and wild ungulates. The literature highlighted that the pre- and post-harvest factors influencing meat color and meat color stability are interrelated and not mutually exclusive. Current research indicates that the effects of several of these factors are specific to species, breed, and muscle source. Novel ways to manipulate these factors using a biosystems approach should be explored to improve color attributes of fresh ungulate meats.

Effect of Sex and Muscle on the Fiber-Type Composition and Cross-Sectional Area of Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) Muscle

This study aimed to compare the fiber-type composition and fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) of male and female springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles. Frozen samples from 4 male and 3 female springbok were fiber-typed immunohistochemically using the primary antibodies A4.74, BA-D5 and BF-35. The CSA of the fibers was determined using the software Image J. Type IIX fibers accounted for 64 to 77% of the fibers in all samples, with type IIA (12.7 to 19.1%), type IIAX (6.4 to 9.3%) and type I (2.4 to 8.5%) making smaller (P < 0.001) contributions. Female springboks’ muscles contained more type IIX fibers than males’ (P = 0.004) and the BF contained more type I fibers and fewer type IIA and IIAX fibers than the LTL (P < 0.001). CSA values did not differ between sexes or muscles; however, they increased with apparent fiber glycolytic capacity (I < IIA < IIAX < IIX; P < 0.001). The glycolytic nature suggested by the fiber-type composition of springbok muscle found in this study is in contrast with previous reports on the physicochemical nature of springbok meat. This casts doubt on the application of standard associations between fiber-type and meat quality to this species. However, it may provide some explanation for the low shear force values found for springbok meat in previous studies.

Effect of Sex and Muscle on the Fiber-Type Composition and Cross-Sectional Area of Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) Muscle

This study aimed to compare the fiber-type composition and fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) of male and female springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles. Frozen samples from 4 male and 3 female springbok were fiber-typed immunohistochemically using the primary antibodies A4.74, BA-D5 and BF-35. The CSA of the fibers was determined using the software Image J. Type IIX fibers accounted for 64 to 77% of the fibers in all samples, with type IIA (12.7 to 19.1%), type IIAX (6.4 to 9.3%) and type I (2.4 to 8.5%) making smaller (P < 0.001) contributions. Female springboks’ muscles contained more type IIX fibers than males’ (P = 0.004) and the BF contained more type I fibers and fewer type IIA and IIAX fibers than the LTL (P < 0.001). CSA values did not differ between sexes or muscles; however, they increased with apparent fiber glycolytic capacity (I < IIA < IIAX < IIX; P < 0.001). The glycolytic nature suggested by the fiber-type composition of springbok muscle found in this study is in contrast with previous reports on the physicochemical nature of springbok meat. This casts doubt on the application of standard associations between fiber-type and meat quality to this species. However, it may provide some explanation for the low shear force values found for springbok meat in previous studies.

The effect of storage conditions on the hygiene and sensory status of wild boar meat

The aim of this study was to compare hygiene status of wild boar meat (shoulder and leg) stored up to 21days at 0°C, 7°C or 15°C. The microbial counts increased gradually in the expected sequence of increasing storage temperatures, with TVC at the end of storage ranging from approx. 2logCFU/g (0°C) to 5logCFU/g (15°C). The lactic acid bacteria and psychrotrophic microflora didn't exceed 2logCFU/g and 2.5logCFU/g, respectively. Whereas odor of the meat stored at 0°C and 7°C was still acceptable at the end of storage, the odor of the meat stored at 15°C was barely acceptable after only 7d of storage and also the content of ammonia was significantly higher. Game meat obtained from animals hunted in the correct way and stored at low temperatures had good microbiological and hygiene status which could be maintained for more than 15days of storage.

Investigating the contributing factors to postmortem pH changes in springbok, eland, red hartebeest and kudu edible offal

The objective of the study was to assess pH measurements between offal organs of different species and the association between pH taken 4 h post-slaughter and different predictor variables in the liver and lungs. A linear regression analysis was conducted on selected variables to identify the main predictors and their interactions affecting the pH of meat 4 h post-slaughter. In an increasing order of magnitude during winter, the pH achieved at 16 h - 36 h post-slaughter in springbok heart, liver, spleen, kidney and lungs was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher than pH 6.0. The pH attained in springbok carcasses was (p &lt; 0.05) below 6.0, whilst no significant differences were observed from the regulatory reference (pH 6.0) in the heart. There was a positive association between the pH of game meat 4 h post-slaughter and liver congestion. The pH of game meat 4 h post-slaughter increased by 0.11 units (p &lt; 0.05) per millilitre increase in liver congestion and decreased by 0.04 units (p&lt; 0.05) per minute increase in the shooting-to-bleeding interval, irrespective of the species. The lack of a statistically significant association between some selected variables and pH changes in this study suggested that either the factors may have a small effect which is only detectable with large data-sets and/or the effect may be modified by other unidentified factors. As some of the offal organs had final pH readings above 6.0, alternative measures are required to inactivate certain endogenous pathogens in edible wild game offal sourced from endemic areas.

Microbiological quality and potential public health risks of export meat from springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) in Namibia

To assess the microbiological quality and safety of export game meat; i) a total of 80 pooled meat samples for aerobic plate count (APC) and Enterobacteriaceae ii) water used in harvesting and processing for microbiological quality and iii) meat and rectal contents for Salmonella spp. and Shiga toxin Escherichia coli (STEC) were evaluated in 2009 and 2010. No differences (p>0.05) in the APCs were observed between the years, but the mean Enterobacteriaceae count for 2009 was 1.33 ± 0.69 log(10)cfu/cm(2) compared to 2.93 ± 1.50 log(10)cfu/cm(2) for 2010. Insignificant Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) levels were detected in 9/23 field water samples, while fecal bacterial (coliforms, Clostridium perfringens and enterococci) were absent in all samples. No Salmonella spp. was isolated and all E. coli isolates from meat were negative for STEC virulence genes (stx1, stx2, eae and hlyA), suggesting a negligible role by springbok in the epidemiology of STEC and Salmonella.

Meat quality characteristics of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis). 3: Fatty acid composition as influenced by age, gender and production region

The effects of age, gender and production region on the fatty acid composition of springbok Musculus longissimus dorsi (LD) were investigated. The major fatty acid of the LD muscle was stearic acid (C18:0), which contributed 23.92-27.02%. Oleic acid (C18:1) represented the largest component (16.33-20.45%) of the mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The major n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was C18:2n-6, which formed 18.77-21.62%, whereas C18:3n-3 (3.33-4.00%) was the most abundant n-3 PUFA. The n-6:n-3 ratio of the meat varied from 3.02 to 3.35, with an average ratio of 3.2. Polyunsaturated to saturated (P:S) ratios varied between 0.96 and 1.18 and averaged at 1.06. Total MUFA was found to be higher (P<0.05) in males (20.99%) than females (16.67%). The cholesterol content of the meat varied from 54.45 to 59.34mg/100g muscle. Linear correlations between the fatty acid and the intramuscular fat (IMF) content indicated a significant increase in certain saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids with increasing IMF content of the meat.