The Effects of Slaughter Age and Sex on Carcass Traits, Meat Quality, and Leg Bone Characteristics of Farmed Common Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus L.)
by
, , , , and
Dariusz Kokoszyński
1,*
,
Joanna Żochowska-Kujawska
2,
Marek Kotowicz
2,
Hubert Piątek
1,
Karol Włodarczyk
3,
Henrieta Arpášová
4,*,
Barbara Biesiada-Drzazga
5,
Marcin Wegner
6,
Mohamed Saleh
7
and
Maciej Imański
8 1
Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85084 Bydgoszcz, Poland
2
Department of Meat Science, West Pomeranian University of Technology, 71550 Szczecin, Poland
3
Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology–State Research Institute, 02532 Warsaw, Poland
4
Institute of Animal Husbandry, Slovak University of Agriculture, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
5
Institute of Animal Science and Fisheries, Siedlce University of Natural Science and Humanities, 08110 Siedlce, Poland
6
Boehringer-Ingelheim, 00728 Warsaw, Poland
7
Department of Poultry Science, Sohag University, Sohag 82524, Egypt
8
Animal Breeding Center, Polish Hunting Association, 88150 Rożniaty, Poland
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2024, 14(7), 1050; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14071050
Submission received: 22 February 2024
/
Revised: 23 March 2024
/
Accepted: 28 March 2024
/
Published: 29 March 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Animal Products)
Simple Summary
Pheasants are medium-sized birds from Asia and southeastern Europe that were introduced to many countries around the world. In Poland, they are mainly used as game birds. The farm rearing of pheasants for meat production is small in scale. They are also kept in parks and gardens. Due to their attractive appearance, including multi-colored plumage, especially in males, they are popular birds and are often kept by hobbyists. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of slaughter age (the duration of the rearing period) and sex on the carcass weight and composition, physicochemical properties, meat texture, and biometric traits of the leg bones (femur and tibia) of common pheasants kept on farms. The results indicate that the sex of the birds has a greater influence on these traits than the slaughter age. The numerous differences in the carcass composition, basic chemical composition, texture, and physicochemical characteristics of the meat of male and female pheasants indicate that they differ in their nutritional value and suitability for processing.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of slaughter age and sex on the carcass characteristics, meat quality parameters, and leg bone dimensions of common pheasants. The study material consisted of 40 common pheasants, including 10 males and 10 females at 12 weeks of age and 10 males and 10 females at 15 weeks of age. The birds were kept on a farm in a semi-intensive system. The slaughter age had significant effects on the eviscerated carcass weight; the percentage of skin with subcutaneous fat; the wings percentage; electrical conductivity (EC24); the work required to cut the samples (cutting work); redness (a*); the intramuscular fat content in the breast meat; and the protein, intramuscular fat, water, and collagen contents in the leg meat. The sex of the pheasants had significant effects on the eviscerated carcass weight; the contents of leg muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat, and wings in the carcasses; and the electrical conductivity, thermal loss, lightness (L*), and redness (a*) of the breast muscles. It also significantly affected the protein and water contents of the pectoral and leg muscles, the intramuscular fat contents of the leg muscles, the texture traits of the pectoralis major muscle, and all femur and tibia bone dimensions. The results indicate a greater influence of sex compared to slaughter age on the pheasant traits studied. We confirmed the occurrence of a clearly marked sexual dimorphism in birds of this species. Both factors (slaughter age and gender) have significant effects on the nutritional and technological value of pheasant meat. The few studies on meat texture and the dimensions of pheasant leg bones indicate a need for continued research in this area in the future.
Keywords:
pheasants; sex; age of slaughter; meat quality
