title: Quality attributes and composition of meat from red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama) and Aberdeen Angus and Holstein cattle (Bos taurus).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The consumption of venison from deer species has increased in recent years owing to presumably positive health effects. Therefore a comparison was made of the physical characteristics, chemical composition and sensory attributes of meat obtained from red deer, fallow deer and Aberdeen Angus and Holstein cattle raised under conditions typical for commercial farming practice and slaughtered at similar ages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Venison had one-quarter the crude fat content, lower total collagen and a higher proportion of heat-soluble collagen. It was darker and less yellow than beef. Deer species provided meat with higher polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio and lower atherogenic index. In addition, the venison of red deer contained five times as much n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as the beef. Steaks prepared from venison were scored higher than beef for flavour and aroma intensity; they were also tenderer and more easily chewable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with beef, venison from two widely farmed deer species was superior in nutrient composition, thus offering potential benefits for human consumption, and it received higher scores for most of the sensory attributes examined.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves 104 00, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bureš
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves 104 00, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Luděk
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bartoň
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves 104 00, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Radim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kotrba
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, 165 21, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hakl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis; D002417:Cattle; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D003116:Color; D003670:Deer; D005223:Fats / Q000032:analysis; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D009753:Nutritive Value; D009812:Odorants; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D005223:Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D003094:Collagen
keywords: beef; chemical composition; fatty acids; sensory analysis; venison