The Effect of Barley and Lysine Supplementation of Pasture-Based Diet on Growth, Carcass Composition and Physical Quality Attributes of Meat from Farmed Fallow Deer (Dama dama)

Abstract

Fallow deer (Dama dama) are important meat producing species providing venison and other products to an international market. The present study investigated the effects of different feed rations on the growth, carcass characteristics and physical attributes of the longissimus lumborum (LL) and semitendinosus (SET) muscles of 45 farm-raised male fallow deer. The animals were divided into three separate groups: 15 pasture-fed (P), 15 pasture-fed and supplemented with barley (B), and 15 pasture-fed and supplemented with barley and lysine (BL). The animals were slaughtered at an average age of 17 months at three time points: after 155, 169 and 183 days on feed. The addition of barley to the feed ration significantly increased weight gain and had positive effects on slaughter and carcass weights, dressing-out proportion, carcass composition, the weight of LL muscle, and increased the redness, yellowness and chroma values of LL muscle. The supplementation with lysine reduced the amounts of carcass and internal fats without compromising other economically important traits.

Farmed-raised fallow deer (Dama dama L.) carcass characteristics and meat nutritional value

“…In general, deer species have a high lean meat:bone ratio (5.5:1 in FD and 5:1 in red deer) and a higher proportion of lean meat (from 66 to 83%) than more conventionally raised ruminant species (Kudrnáčová et al 2018 ). However, lower lean meat:bone ratio was noted (3.4:1) in this study although the results are in agreement with the findings of Kudrnáčová et al ( 2019 ), who reported a similar meat:bone ratio in 17-month old FD (3.42:1).…”

“…However, the dressing percentage, in this study, was lower than reported by Stanisz et al ( 2015 ), Volpelli et al ( 2002 ) and Wiklund et al ( 2005 ) (55.5% vs. 63.3%, 57.7% and 67.2%, respectively), which was caused by a higher weight of internal organs and gastrointestinal tract in this study. In contrast, Kudrnáčová et al ( 2019 ) reported similar slaughter and carcass weights and dressing percentage (45 kg, 23 kg and 51%, respectively) for a 17-month-old farmed-raised FD from pasture feeding.…”

“…Generally, pasture is a basic source of feed for farmed deer species, but a simple grain-based diet supplementation is a common practice to improve an animal performance, during winter or a season with harsh conditions (dry or wet and muddy season). Animals supplemented with grains have higher slaughter yields and proportion of individual carcass parts and more intramuscular fat (IMF) and carcass fat than pasture-fed animals (Kudrnácová et al 2019 ). Volpelli et al ( 2003 ) reported a higher fat content in LTL and SM muscles and a higher protein content in SM muscle obtained from FD fed with concentrate compared with pasture fed animals.…”

“…The significant role of the animal diet on the slaughter value of carcasses and meat quality was reported by Kudrnáčová et al ( 2019 ), Volpelli et al ( 2003 ) and Wiklund et al ( 2005 ). In this study, farm-raised FD were pasture-fed, however, during autumn and winter periods their diet was supplemented with hay, silage and concentrate mixtures, which might have affected carcass and meat quality and produced results which were not described in previous papers.…”

The Effect of Barley and Lysine Supplementation on the longissimus lumborum Meat Quality of Pasture-Raised Fallow Deer (Dama dama)

“…The effects of increasing dietary lysine levels on lipogenesis inhibition and the repartitioning of nutrients towards lean tissue deposition, instead of towards fat deposition, have been reported previously in monogastric farm animals, such as chickens [ 14 ], ducks [ 15 ] and pigs [ 16 ]. However, in previous work on FD, it was found that the supplementation of FD bucks with lysine also significantly decreased internal fat and carcass fat deposition [ 17 ]. Despite the fact that FD are one of the most popular deer species farmed world-wide, few studies have evaluated the effects of feeding concentrate and amino acid supplementations in this species.…”