The seasonal variation in the quality of venison from wild fallow deer (Dama dama) - A pilot study

Marek Stanisz; Maciej Skorupski; Piotr Ślósarz; Marta Bykowska-Maciejewska; Joanna Składanowska-Baryza; Łukasz Stańczak; Małgorzata Krokowska-Paluszak; Agnieszka Ludwiczak

doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.12.003

The seasonal variation in the quality of venison from wild fallow deer (Dama dama) - A pilot study

Meat Sci. 2019 Apr:150:56-64. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.12.003. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Authors

Marek Stanisz¹, Maciej Skorupski², Piotr Ślósarz¹, Marta Bykowska-Maciejewska¹, Joanna Składanowska-Baryza¹, Łukasz Stańczak², Małgorzata Krokowska-Paluszak², Agnieszka Ludwiczak³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Breeding and Product Quality Assessment, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Złotniki, Słoneczna 1, Suchy Las 62-002, Poland.
² Department of Game Management and Forest Protection, Faculty of Forestry, Wojska Polskiego 28, Poznań 60-637, Poland.
³ Department of Animal Breeding and Product Quality Assessment, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Złotniki, Słoneczna 1, Suchy Las 62-002, Poland. Electronic address: aludw@up.poznan.pl.

PMID: 30590255
DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.12.003

Abstract

The studied material included 19 fallow deer does hunt-harvested in two seasons, summer and winter. The post-mortem body weight of analysed animals was not affected by the season (P = 0.762). The pH value measured 24 h post-mortem in the M. longissimus lumborum was significantly higher in the summer compared to the winter season. The venison obtained in the winter season characterized with higher L* (P < 0.0001) and b* (P = 0.002) and lower a* (P < .0001) compared to meat from the summer season. There was also a seasonal variation in the purge in vacuum bags (P = 0.001), water compartments and cooking loss (P < 0.0001). Considering the proximal chemical composition, the extractable fat content was higher in winter (P < 0.0001) compared to the summer season. On the basis of the research results, one can conclude about greater usability for processing and storage of venison obtained in the winter season.

Keywords: Effect of season; Vacuum packaging; Venison quality; Wild fallow deer.

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild / physiology
Body Weight
Color
Cooking
Deer
Female
Food Quality
Food Storage / methods
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Meat / analysis*
Muscle, Skeletal / chemistry
Pilot Projects
Poland
Seasons*
Shear Strength