The effect of gender on meat (Longissimus lumborum muscle) quality characteristics in the fallow deer (Dama dama L.)

The aim of this study was to determine the quality of meat (Longissimus lumborum muscle) from male (11 bucks) and female (10 does) fallow deer (Dama dama L.) aged 17-18 months, hunter-harvested in north-eastern Poland during one hunting season. Muscle samples collected from the carcasses of male fallow deer were characterized by a higher (P <= 0.01) content of dry matter, protein, fat and energy, and a lower (P <= 0.01) water/protein ratio than male counterparts. An analysis of the fatty acid profile revealed that the intramuscular fat of male fallow deer contained higher concentrations of C12:0, C20:0, C18:2 and C20:1 fatty acids (P <= 0.01), and C16:1, C18:1 and C18:3 fatty acids (P <= 0.05), whereas the intramuscular fat of female fallow deer contained higher levels of C16:0 and C17:1 fatty acids (P <= 0.01), and C14:0, C17:0 and C20:4 fatty acids (P <= 0.05), and higher (P <= 0.01) amounts of saturated fatty acids. The fat extracted from the carcasses of bucks had a higher (P <= 0.01) ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids. An analysis of the physicochemical properties of meat indicated that samples of the Longissimus lumborum muscle collected from the carcasses of male fallow deer were characterized by a lower (P <= 0.01) pH and greater (P <= 0.01) drip loss, and their colour had a higher (P <= 0.01) contribution of redness, yellowness, and higher saturation. The effect of gender on meat quality was also confirmed by a sensory analysis, in which meat from bucks received higher scores for juiciness (P <= 0.05), and meat from does for tenderness (P <= 0.01).