Preliminary results of fatty acid composition of meat from red deer hunted in Tuscany (Italy)

In the last years, in the north of Tuscany along the Apennine ridge, mainly in Pistoia, Prato and Florence districts, it is recording an increase of red deer number and, therefore, an increasing quantity of derived meat. It is well known that, generally, venison contains less fat than traditional red meats, satisfying consumer demand for lean meat, but less are the knowledge about meat fatty acid profile. Therefore, from the carcasses of ten stags, shot during the last 2009-2010 hunting season at an age of 18-20 months, ten samples of longissimus lumborum were excised at the level of 7th-8th ribs to determine pHu values (pHmeter Hanna pH211) and fatty acid profile (by gas-chromatography after Folch extraction). pHu values are normal (5.7-5.8) indicating a good acidification of meat and no effect of stress due to hunting method. Meat fatty acid composition shows values similar to other authors on red deer: total saturated content (lauric, myristic, palmitic, margaric and stearic acids) is equal to 42.08%; total monounsaturated (myristoleic, palmitoleic, cis-heptadecanoic, oleic and cis-eicosenoic acids) is equal to 26.04%, while polyunsaturated ones (linoleic, α-linoleic, CLA, arachidonic, EPA, DPA, DHA) are equal to 31.88%. Polyunsaturated/saturated ratio is 0.76 and is similar to the findings of other authors for red deer meat. In conclusion, red deer meat quality competes with domesticates meat and is a good alternative to traditional red meat, even if further research is needed to better know the difference due to sex, age and hunting season.