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.

Altered miRNA and mRNA Expression in Sika Deer Skeletal Muscle with Age

Studies of the gene and miRNA expression profiles associated with the postnatal late growth, development, and aging of skeletal muscle are lacking in sika deer. To understand the molecular mechanisms of the growth and development of sika deer skeletal muscle, we used de novo RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and microRNA sequencing (miRNA-seq) analyses to determine the differentially expressed (DE) unigenes and miRNAs from skeletal muscle tissues at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years in sika deer. A total of 51,716 unigenes, 171 known miRNAs, and 60 novel miRNAs were identified based on four mRNA and small RNA libraries. A total of 2,044 unigenes and 11 miRNAs were differentially expressed between adolescence and juvenile sika deer, 1,946 unigenes and 4 miRNAs were differentially expressed between adult and adolescent sika deer, and 2,209 unigenes and 1 miRNAs were differentially expressed between aged and adult sika deer. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that DE unigenes and miRNA were mainly related to energy and substance metabolism, processes that are closely associate with the growth, development, and aging of skeletal muscle. We also constructed mRNA–mRNA and miRNA–mRNA interaction networks related to the growth, development, and aging of skeletal muscle. The results show that mRNA (Myh1, Myh2, Myh7, ACTN3, etc.) and miRNAs (miR-133a, miR-133c, miR-192, miR-151-3p, etc.) may play important roles in muscle growth and development, and mRNA (WWP1, DEK, UCP3, FUS, etc.) and miRNAs (miR-17-5p, miR-378b, miR-199a-5p, miR-7, etc.) may have key roles in muscle aging. In this study, we determined the dynamic miRNA and unigenes transcriptome in muscle tissue for the first time in sika deer. The age-dependent miRNAs and unigenes identified will offer insights into the molecular mechanism underlying muscle development, growth, and maintenance and will also provide valuable information for sika deer genetic breeding.

Influence of the method of storage on the quality of venison from wild fallow deer (Dama dama)

The quality of two muscles (musculus longissimus lumborum and musculus semimembranosus) was studied in a group of 15 wild fallow deer does hunted in January. The aim of the research was to analyse the influence of the method of storage on the quality of venison. The pH value after chilled storage and after freezer storage ranged from 5.64 to 5.70, indicating high meat quality of meat. The freezer storage caused a decrease in the redness and chroma in the longissimus lumborum muscle (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.001). The frozen and thawed venison characterised with a higher percentage of free water (P = 0.001), drip loss (P = 0.033) and lower plasticity (P = 0.001) compared to the meat stored under chilled conditions. The instrumental measures of tenderness were affected by the storage. The results indicated a lower technological quality of venison after freezer storage compared to meat stored under chilled conditions.

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

BACKGROUND

Deer-meat consumption is increasing in several countries based on claims that it is a healthy red meat. This study assessed the effect of slaughter age (low - 26 months and younger; medium - from 27 months to younger than 42 months; and high - 42 months and older) on carcass characteristics and meat physicochemical properties of 150 Iberian wild red deer.

RESULTS

Whole carcass yields of neck, backbone and flank increased (P < 0.001) with age, while yields of shoulder, tenderloin and leg decreased (P < 0.05) with age. The pH measured at 48 h post mortem at 9th rib level was not affected by age, while pH measured at 72 h post mortem at the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle decreased (P < 0.05) with age. Meat chemical composition was not affected by slaughter age, except for intramuscular fat (IMF), which increased (P < 0.05) with slaughter age. Finally, cooking loss and shear force were higher (P < 0.05) in meat from older deer.

CONCLUSION

Most characteristics of meat from wild red deer depend on age at slaughter. The greater IMF of meat from older animals may render it more palatable. However, meat shear force also increased with age. Additional studies testing palatability seem to be necessary to evaluate the effects of slaughter age on the sensorial quality of meat from Iberian wild red deer. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

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.

The effect of high ultimate pH on the quality of three muscles from farm-raised fallow deer (Dama dama)

Muscles (m. supraspinatus, SP; m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum, LTL; m. semimembranosus, SM) of 16 farm-raised fallow deer were analysed to study the effect of normal and high pH on the quality of venison. While 60% of analysed SP muscles were characterised with an ultimate pH (pHu) of ≥6.0, the pHu of LTL and SM was of a normal level (pH ≤ 6.0) for most of the analysed fallow deer. The SP with a normal and high pH had the highest pHu among the analysed muscles (P = 0.009). High pHu resulted in redder meat (P = 0.004). LTL and SM with a high pHu were characterised with the lowest value of H° (P = 0.006). The drip loss and the percentage of total water were higher for SP than for the other analysed muscles (P = 0.001 and P &lt; 0.0001). The free water and the free-water share in total water were most affected by the pHu (P = 0.001) among the analysed traits related to water-holding capacity of meat, and were lower for venison with a high pHu than for that with a normal pHu. The high-pHu venison was related to a lower cooking loss (P = 0.002) and a slightly higher meat plasticity (P = 0.027) than was the meat with a normal pHu. The proximal chemical composition of the fallow deer muscles was not influenced by the pHu (P = 0.817–0.983) nor by the carcass weight (P = 0.121–0.964). From the present results, it can be concluded that high-pH and normal-pH venison have different qualities. This also means different culinary and technological characteristics depending on the pHu value. The incidence of high pHu was the highest in the SP.

Influence of selected factors on meat quality from farm-raised and wild fallow deer (Dama dama): a review

Fallow deer meat (venison) is a new product acquired from farm-raised and wild animals. Nowadays, people are more concerned about their health, and therefore, they search for high quality, “healthy” products. Farming of fallow deer is ecological and friendly to the environment. Animals are kept in pasture conditions which resemble their natural environment. Venison is considered healthy meat, low in fat and cholesterol, and high in protein. The aim of this review was to gather and discuss the available literature on factors influencing the quality of venison such as sex, age, slaughter method and housing system, feeding, hanging method, animal condition, muscle type, and ageing of meat, considering both farm-raised and wild fallow deer.