The aim of the study was to assess the fatty acid profile and nutraceutical properties of lipids contained in fallow deer (Dama dama) meat produced in organic and conventional farming systems. Longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles from 24 fallow deer carcasses were selected for the study. The fallow deer meat from the organic farming system was characterized by significantly lower intramuscular fat content. The fatty acid profile in the organic meat was characterized by a particularly high proportion (p < 0.0001) of conjugated linoleic acid—CLA (LL—2.29%, SM—2.14%), alpha-linolenic acid—ALA (LL—4.32%, SM—3.87%), and docosahexaenoic acid—DHA (LL—2.83%, SM—2.60%). The organic system had a beneficial effect (p < 0.0001) on the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including n-3 PUFAs, which resulted in a more favorable n-6 PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid)/n-3 PUFA ratio. The significantly higher nutritional quality of organic meat lipids was confirmed by such nutraceutical indicators as the thrombogenic index (TI), ∆9-desaturase C16, elongase, and docosahexaenoic acid + eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA+EPA) in the LL and SM and cholesterol index (CI), and the cholesterol-saturated fat index (CSI) indices in the SM. LL was characterized by higher overall quality.

The aim of the study was to determine the levels of selected toxic and non-toxic elements in the liver of free-living wild boars from agricultural areas and to assess health risks associated with liver consumption. Samples were collected from 70 wild boars. The animals were divided into three age groups (group I up to one year, group II from one to three years, group III over three to five years). It was shown that wild boar liver is a rich source of mineral compounds (K, Fe, Mg, Ca, Zn, and Cu). The age was found to exert an effect on the concentration of most minerals. The sex significantly determined the content of Fe, Ca, and Cd. The maximum allowable level of Cd in the liver was exceeded in two and three samples from groups I and III, respectively. Therefore, regular monitoring of the content of this element in tissues of game animals is extremely important and advisable to assess the consumer exposure to this metal. From the point of view of human health, the estimation of the non-carcinogenic risk indicated that the intake of individual trace elements through the consumption of the liver was safe, whereas consumption of combined trace elements (only in the case of the consumption of the wild boar liver twice a week) suggested a potential health risk to children.

The aim of the present study was to identify and assess the determinants of the content of Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cd, and Pb in longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles of fallow deer and red deer reared in the organic system. The concentrations of 6 elements (Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cd, Pb) in fallow deer and red deer meat produced in the organic system in Poland were analyzed with the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The animals, i.e. 12 ca. 2- and 3-year-old fallow deer (Dama dama) and 12 ca. 3- and 4-year-old red deer (Cervus elaphus), were culled during the autumn season. Both groups of animals comprised 6 males and 6 females. A significant effect of the species on the content of selected minerals in the meat was noted. It was found that the LL muscle from the fallow deer was a rich source of Ca, Mg, and Zn, and the meat from the red deer had high amounts of Zn and Fe. The age of the animals had a significant effect on the level of Mg in the red deer meat.

The aim of the study was to compare the properties of lipids and the content of cadmium and lead in the meat of red deer (Cervus elaphus) kept in a forest feeding ground (FFG) and on organic and conventional farms in Poland. Longissimus lumborum (LL) and Musculus semimembranosus (SM) muscles were collected for the study from 36 red deer carcasses in an equal sex and age ratio (3 and 4 years old). From April to October, the animals consumed only the vegetation growing in the feeding grounds. The floristic and phytoncide composition, as well as the fodder value, of the feeding grounds were assessed. Additionally, the intramuscular fat and cholesterol content, the profile, sum, and ratios of fatty acids (FAs), lipid nutraceutical parameters, and cadmium and lead content were determined in LL and SM. The plant composition comprised 116 species in the organic feeding ground (OFG) and 78 species in the conventional feeding ground (CFG). The LL and SM muscles of the red deer from the organic and forest feeding grounds exhibited significantly lower amounts of fat and cholesterol than those from the conventional system. The differences in the fatty acid composition between the three groups were quite small. Differences in intramuscular fat content contributed to a higher percentage of PUFAs in the FFG and OFG, in comparison to the CFG. In all types of feeding ground, the cadmium (0.002 to 0.008 mg/kg) and lead (0.009 to 0.019 mg/kg) content determined in the meat did not pose a threat to consumers.

The aim of the article was to evaluate the sensory attractiveness of local smoked bacon made from organic and traditional pig fattening feedstock. The research material consisted of three assortments of smoked bacon produced according to the same traditional recipe. The sensory attractiveness of the bacon was evaluated on the basis of the research of quality factors (external look, look on the cross-section, color, smell-intensity, smell-desirableness, taste, taste-intensity, taste-desirability) and affective reaction to the product. Two groups of people performed a direct assessment of the bacon: 115 consumers and a team of 12 experts. The research shows that the sensory quality of local smoked bacon differentiates significantly the feedstock used for their production. Of the three tested assortments of smoked bacon, the highest scores were awarded to the distinctions of the sensory quality of bacon from traditional fattening. The total sensory quality index of bacon from traditional fattening ranged from 4.28 to 4.50 points, bacon from intensive fattening from 3.66 to 3.95 points, and organic fattening bacon only from 3.20 to 3.42 points. This product ranking was mainly determined by two distinctive features: the cross-section look and the taste. In the opinion of consumers and experts the most-attractive local smoked bacon proved to be a product from pig fattening feedstock.