The effect of nutrition and immunocastration on growth intensity and meat quality of farmed fallow deer (Dama dama)

BUREŠ, Daniel, LEBEDOVÁ, Nicole, NEEDHAM, T., KUDRNÁČOVÁ, Eva, CEACERO, Francisco and BARTOŇ, Luděk. The effect of nutrition and immunocastration on growth intensity and meat quality of farmed fallow deer (Dama dama). Maso, 2023, vol. 33(6), p. 27-35. ISSN 1210-4086.
Year2023
CathegoryPublication in specialized journals
Internal link23130.pdf
Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different dietary and immunocastration treatments on the growth rate and meat quality of farmed fallow deer. A total of 40 13-month-old bucks were included in the experiment and divided into two groups with different level of supplementary concentrated feed presented for 102 days. Half of the animals in each group were immunocasted. The higher level of supplementary feeding resulted in a greater growth intensity during the fattening period and in a higher dressing percentage of the animals, while the effect of immunocastration on these parameters was not confirmed. Analysis of the chemical composition of three muscles (longissimus thoracis et lumborum, biceps femoris and supraspinatus) found differences in protein content, with higher values observed in entire males or in the group fed the more intensive ration. The meat of the animals in this group also contained higher amounts of intramuscular fat compared to the fallow deer fed lower level of supplementary feed. The results of the sensory analysis showed that immunocastration positively influenced the overall aroma intensity, tenderness and juiciness of grilled steaks from the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle, while the meat of animals fed the lower amount of supplementary feed had a more intense grass odour.