James Sales

Proximate, amino acid and mineral composition of ostrich meat

The proximate composition, amino acid composition and mineral composition of three different muscles from the legs of seven ostriches were determined. Results indicated that components analyzed remained relatively constant between different muscles. Ostrich meat is characterized by an extremely low intramuscular fat content. Values for water, protein, ash, amino acid and mineral contents are in agreement with values obtained for beef and chicken.

Post-mortem pH decline in different ostrich muscles

Post-mortem glycolysis, as described by muscle pH decline, was investigated in several ostrich muscles. While the gastrocnemius pars interna, femorotibialis medius, iliotibialis lateralis and iliofemoralis showed the normal descending pH decline pattern, the ambiens as well as the iliofibularis showed a very rapid pH decline until 2 hr post mortem whereafter pH increased.

Histological, Biophysical, Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Different Ostrich Muscles

Some characteristics generally related to meat quality were evaluated in several muscles from the leg of the ostrich. Ostrich meat is characterised by a relatively high pH f and low intramuscular fat content. Although standard slaughtering procedures of ostriches at present comprise the removal of legs within 30 min post mortem from the carcass, relatively long sarcomere lengths and the absence of a linear relationship (P > 0.05) between sarcomere length and Warner-Bratzler shear measurements (WBS) show that no cold shortening occurs in the different muscles. The means obtained for the Iliotibialis lateralis are representative of the mean of all the individual muscles combined regarding the characteristics muscle fibre diameter, WBS and pigment content. The overall mean for sarcomere length, pH f and collagen content of all the individual muscles combined can be deduced from determination of these characteristics in the Femorotibialis medius.

Fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of different ostrich muscles

Six different muscles from the left legs of 19 African Black ostriches were analysed for cholesterol content and fatty acid composition. Cholesterol content differed (p < 0.05) from 56.61 mg/100 g in the M. femorotibialis medius to 71.12 mg/100 g in the M. iliofemoralis. Although the percentage of individual fatty acids differed (p < 0.05) between muscles, and variation were found within muscles, the percentage of total saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were relatively constant between muscles. The M. iliofemoralis presented a w6:w3 ratio of 5.21, while this characteristic was constant around a mean value of 3.93 in all other muscles.

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae): a review of its biology and commercial products

Widely distributed throughout the Australian continent, the emu has been hunted by man for thousands of years. Emu farming for oil, meat and skins, both inside and outside Australia, has been seen as feasible from the end of the 1980s.This paper reviews the basic biology of the emu with emphasis on breeding and nutrition before then describing the main commercial products of this species. It is concluded that the emu industry is hampered by a lack of clinical validation of the value of the oil, high costs of production, and inadequate market outlets.

Cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of rhea meat.

The influence of species and muscle on the intramuscular fat content, cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of Greater and Lesser Rhea meat were evaluated. Muscle has no influence (P>0.05) on any of these characteristics. Neither intramuscular fat (1.23%) nor cholesterol content (57 mg/100 g) differed (P>0.05) between species. Despite differences (P<0.05) in the percentage of individual fatty acids, total saturated fatty acids (33.1%) did not differ (P>0.05) between species, while total monounsaturated fatty acids (26.8 vs 32.2%) was lower (P<0.05) and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (39.7 vs 33.6%) higher (P<0.05) for Greater than Lesser Rhea.

Meat from wild boar (Sus scrofa L.): A review

Wild boar is a species that is utilised for food and sport hunting throughout the world. Recent increases in natural populations and the potential of farming wild boars have stimulated interest in this species as a meat producer. Compared to domestic pigs, wild boars present a higher degree of carcass fatness and larger loin areas, more slow-twitch oxidative (I) and fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic (IIA) and less fast-twitch glycolytic (IIB) muscle fibres, and darker, less tender and leaner meat. Differences in diets might contribute to differences in cooked meat flavour and fatty acid composition between wild boars and domestic pigs. Higher α-tocopherol concentrations in wild boar might extend its meat shelf-life. Mechanical massaging of muscles, vacuum package ageing and addition of marinates have been attempted to tenderise wild boar meat. Further research on hunting protocols for wild boar, and value-added products from its meat, are needed.

Carcass and meat characteristics of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Seven Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) of 1300 mm length were slaughtered in order to established baseline values for component yields and expected percentage of lean meats fat and bone for this species. The skin presents nearly 20% of the live weight of the Nile crocodiles while a dressing percentage of 56.5% was derived. The tail realised 18 and 33% of the live weight and empty carcass weight respectively. Values of 60.8, 12.2 and 26.6% of carcass weight were obtained for total lean meat, fat and bone respectively. A pH value of ±6.5 at 24h post-mortem in both tail and leg muscles and a decreasing pH towards 48h post-mortem illustrated that rigor mortis is still not complete when crocodile carcasses are processed. While fat content differed statistically (P < 0.05) from 91.1 g kg in raw torso samples to 29.4 g kg in raw neck samples, protein content was relatively constant around a mean of 220.8 g kg in raw meat. Cooking did not have any influence of practical value on proximate, amino acid or mineral composition. Crocodile meat is characterised by a lower iron, magnesium and sodium content than either beef or chicken. Of the total fatty acids present in the tail samples, 37.7% were saturated, 51.1% monounsaturated and 10.7% polyunsaturated. Oleic acid was predominant (43.1%), whilst palmitic acid (25.4%), stearic acid (9.9%) and linoleic acid (9.1%) were also present in high concentrations

Comparison of meat quality between eland (Taurotragus oryx) and cattle (Bos taurus) raised under similar conditions

Physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of meat were compared between non-domestic eland (Taurotragus oryx) bulls (n=6) and domestic Fleckvieh (Bos taurus) bulls (n=6) which were finished under controlled conditions of feeding and management. Musculus longissimus lumborum from eland were darker and less yellow in colour, with a higher pH24 and lower contents of intramuscular fat and total collagen, compared to cattle. Contents (mg/100 g muscle tissue) and proportions (g/100 g of FA determined) of SFA and MUFA were higher (P<0.01) in cattle. Although the proportion of total PUFA were higher (P<0.001) in eland, contents of PUFA were similar between species. Meat from cattle was consistently scored higher (P<0.05) for sensory texture characteristics, juiciness, flavour, and overall acceptance. We concluded that bulls of eland provided low-fat meat with a beneficial fatty acid composition from a human nutrition perspective, but with lower sensory scores, compared to bull beef.

Digestive Physiology and Nutrition of Ratites

The exploitation of African ostriches, Australian emus and South American rheas as producers of skins, meat and feathers, and the protection of cassowaries in Australia and New Guinea and kiwis in New Zealand from becoming extinct, emphasise the need of knowledge about nutritional requirements of ratites. Although the general anatomy of the digestive tract of ratites is comparable to that of other avian species, they are unique in that they all lack a crop, and some (ostrich, rhea, emu) have evolved some form of fibre fermentation. The cassowary is the largest obligate frugivorous bird, whereas the diet of the kiwi can be described as carnivorousyinsectivorous. Vigilance plays an important role in the feeding behaviour of the ostrich and rhea, while smell is used by the nocturnal kiwi to locate food. Information on the digestive processes and nutritive value of feed ingredients in ratites are limited, and knowledge about nutrient requirements is extrapolated from theoretical models developed with domesticated poultry species.