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Game meat hygiene in focus pp 297–314Cite as

Muscle biological and biochemical ramifications of farmed game husbandry with focus on deer and reindeer

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Summary

The deer farming industry in New Zealand and the traditional Sami reindeer husbandry culture in Fennoscandia (Sweden, Norway and Finland) lead the world in commercial venison (deer meat) production from semi-domestic or farmed deer species, i.e. red deer (Cervus elaphus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), respectively. Production systems are based on natural pastures but include pre-slaughter handling routines and a slaughter process similar to that of domestic species like beef and lamb. Venison has several attributes attractive to consumers – it is tender, has low fat content, a favourable fat composition and high levels of minerals. All these attributes of venison are criteria demanded by today’s discerning meat consumer. The introduction of new venison production routines such as intensive farm-based management, industrialised slaughter and meat processing, use of commercial feed mixtures and possibly new ingredients used to supplement or replace pasture can alter venison quality. One topic of central importance for venison is the image as a natural, free-range origin, clean and healthy product. Care should be taken to ensure the positive image of venison as a ‘natural’ and healthy product is not lost when production systems are intensified to meet the market demand.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the following research teams which all have contributed to the research results presented in this paper: the Meat Science group and the Reindeer Husbandry Unit at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden; the Department of Food of Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, the Department of Production Animal Medicine and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine at Vienna, Austria, the Reindeer Research Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA; the Deer Systems group and the Meat Science team at AgResearch Ltd., Invermay and Hamilton, New Zealand and the Deer Unit at the University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia. We are also grateful for positive contacts with reindeer herders, deer farmers and meat processors and the industry organisations particularly Svenska Samernas Riksförbund (SSR) in Sweden and Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) and resulting discussions and input which have significantly contributed to the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Svenska Samernas Riksförbund (SSR), Magasinsgatan 7, 903 27, Umeå, Sweden

    Eva Wiklund

  2. Institute of Meat Hygiene, Meat Technology and Food Science, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria

    Frans J. M. Smulders

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  1. Eva Wiklund
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Correspondence to Eva Wiklund .

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P. Paulsen A. Bauer M. Vodnansky R. Winkelmayer F. J. M. Smulders

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Wiklund, E., Smulders, F.J.M. (2011). Muscle biological and biochemical ramifications of farmed game husbandry with focus on deer and reindeer. In: Paulsen, P., Bauer, A., Vodnansky, M., Winkelmayer, R., Smulders, F.J.M. (eds) Game meat hygiene in focus. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-723-3_22

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