Application of principal component analysis method for characterization chemical, technological, and textural parameters of farmed and pastured red deer

ABSTRACT

Sixteen male red deer (age <1.5 year), both farm reared and pastured in Slovakia, were assessed with an emphasis on the variability of pH, chemical, structural, and textural parameters of their Musculus longissimus thoracis et. lumborum. Pastured deer had a higher pH than farmed deer. Regarding chemical compounds, meat from pastured deer contained less protein, fat, and ash, and regarding technological parameters, drip loss and cooking loss was higher when fried at 80°C. Meat cohesiveness was quite similar for both groups, while shear force was lower in pastured deer after being roasted in an oven and being fried, and it had less coefficients of variation than hardness. The total variation higher than 85% was explained by the first five principal components for pH, chemical, and technological parameters, and 86% for textural parameters. The principal component analysis illustratively divided the pastured and farmed deer according to the assessed parameters.

KEYWORDS:

• Deer
• Meat
• PCA
• Variability, Quality