Fermented meat sausages from game and venison: what are the opportunities and limitations? : Fermented meat sausages from game and venison

An increase in the acceptance, demand and production of game meat and venison has been experienced globally. Game meat and venison fit into consumers' ideology of healthy and environmentally friendly meat when compared to domesticated animals. Opportunities exist to explore the use of these meat sources in developing new products, particularly as game meat and venison in their fresh state are sometimes perceived as being tough. Consumers have shown a trend for trying exciting new products with different organoleptic qualities, and fermented sausages occupy a special niche in the gastro-economic trade. In this review, the production potential of game meat and venison and its prospective use in the development of fermented sausages are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the importance of meat characteristics in textural and sensorial development as well as the safety of fermented sausages. Additionally, consumers' perception of venison and game meat is discussed. Possible areas of research and knowledge gaps are highlighted, particularly the potential use of meat with high pH and microbial load. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

The fallow deer (Dama spp.); endangered or not?

In less than a century, the fallow deer (Dama spp.) has moved from almost becoming extinct to becoming one of the most widespread ungulate species in the world. Successful translocations and introductions of the species to novel regions date back to, at least, Phoenician sailors who introduced the fallow deer to locations around the Mediterranean. Since that time, the fallow deer has spread to all continents, accumulating much interest on the impacts of their introduction on other species and vegetation. Whilst the fallow deer is still considered extinct or endangered in its native original habitat, in most areas the species has thrived and adapted successfully, playing an important role in food security and sustainability. On the other hand, the fallow deer is raising environmental concerns in many countries as an invasive species to native cervids and vegetative bio-diversity. A thorough understanding of this is needed in order to establish proper conservation and management recommendations and ensure the fallow deer flourishes within manageable ecosystems. This review reports on the different roles of the fallow deer as an ornamental, hunting and meat producing animal and points out management practises that are missing today to help ensure the species is fully utilised

Strong population structure in a species manipulated by humans since the Neolithic: The European fallow deer (Dama dama dama)

Species that have been translocated and otherwise manipulated by humans may show patterns of population structure that reflect those interactions. At the same time, natural processes shape populations, including behavioural characteristics like dispersal potential and breeding system. In Europe, a key factor is the geography and history of climate change through the Pleistocene. During glacial maxima throughout that period, species in Europe with temperate distributions were forced south, becoming distributed among the isolated peninsulas represented by Anatolia, Italy and Iberia. Understanding modern patterns of diversity depends on understanding these historical population dynamics. Traditionally, European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) are thought to have been restricted to refugia in Anatolia and possibly Sicily and the Balkans. However, the distribution of this species was also greatly influenced by human-mediated translocations. We focus on fallow deer to better understand the relative influence of these natural and anthropogenic processes. We compared modern fallow deer putative populations across a broad geographic range using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA loci. The results revealed highly insular populations, depauperate of genetic variation and significantly differentiated from each other. This is consistent with the expectations of drift acting on populations founded by small numbers of individuals, and reflects known founder populations in the north. However, there was also evidence for differentiation among (but not within) physically isolated regions in the south, including Iberia. In those regions we find evidence for a stronger influence from natural processes than may be expected for a species with such strong, known anthropogenic influence