Artūras Šiukščius

Effect of different roe deer muscles on fatty acid composition in intramuscular fat.

Abstract The aim of the work was to study the effect of different muscles on the fatty acid composition in the intramuscular fat of roe deer hunted in Lithuania. The samples were excised from the five muscles of different carcass sites: m. longissimus dorsi (LD), m. deltoideus (shoulder), m. tensor fascia e latae (hind quarter), m. cleidocipitalis (neck) and m. intercostales interni (brisket) of hunted animals. The data were subjected to the analysis of variance in general linear (GLM Multivariate) procedure in SPSS 17. The muscle location of roe deer males appeared to affect the fatty acid composition in the intramuscular fat. The total proportions of saturated (SFA ), monounsaturated (MUFA ) and polyunsaturated (PUFA), including individual SFA, MUFA and PUFA acids were affected by the muscle. The highest levels of SFA and MUFA and the lowest levels of PUFA were found in the intramuscular fat of neck and brisket muscles and vice versa, the lowest levels of SFA and MUFA and the highest levels of PUFA were found in the intramuscular fat of LD and hind quarter muscles. The muscle type of roe deer appeared to affect the lipid quality indices. The lowest atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes, and the highest hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio were in the intramuscular fat of LD and hind quarter muscles.

Comparative evaluation of longissimus and semimembranosus muscle characteristics from free-living and farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Lithuania

AbstractThe aim of the study was to compare characteristics of longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles from free-living and farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Lithuania. No significant differences were found either between LD and SM muscles of free-living and farmed red deer or within these muscles of red deer from different environments regarding meat pH and colour parameters. The assessment of meat toughness employing the Warner-Bratzler (WB) method showed the longissimus muscle of free-living deer to be tenderer than the semimembranosus muscle. The TPA (texture profile analysis) method, in contrast to the WB test, showed higher tenderness of the semimembranosus muscle in farmed red deer. The present study revealed only small differences in properties of free-living and farmed red deer meat, i.e. intramuscular fat in the longissimus muscle of free-living red deer had a lower and a more favourable n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio and the semimembranosus muscle a lower content of cholesterol than the r...