**1. Introduction**

The dynamic changes in nutrition in terms of food quality and health safety requirements prompt the consumer to look for food produced in strictly defined systems, e.g., in the organic farming system [1,2]. This is confirmed by the continuous increase in the global organic food market [3–5] and the frequency of purchase of such products [6]. There is a common belief that organic food has higher nutritional values, is healthier and safer [7–10], and reduces the risk of overweight and obesity [11]. Recent literature reviews and metaanalyses have revealed significant differences in the nutritional composition of organic and conventional food [5,8]. Organic meat has better nutritional properties than industrially produced meat, which is reflected in a considerably improved composition of animal fats (higher concentrations of n-3 fatty acids), higher content of biologically active compounds, and lower cholesterol levels [1,12]. A higher frequency of consumption of organic meat in the diet can significantly reduce the prevalence of various lifestyle diseases [13].

Meat from game animals is a highly valued culinary and processing raw material due to its flavor, excellent nutritional properties, and high pH stability in the maturation process [14–16]. It can be classified as very lean meat [16–18]. Over the last few years, the interest in this meat has been increasing as it is regarded as "natural and sustainable" [19]. Wild-living animals experience a high standard of welfare and eat mainly natural food. Their meat is free of antibiotics and hormones [20]. Meat of various cervid species is also

**Citation:** Kilar, J.; Kasprzyk, A. Fatty Acids and Nutraceutical Properties of Lipids in Fallow Deer (*Dama dama*) Meat Produced in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems. *Foods* **2021**, *10*, 2290. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/foods10102290

Academic Editors: Benjamin W. B. Holman and Eric Nanthan Ponnampalam

Received: 6 August 2021 Accepted: 23 September 2021 Published: 27 September 2021

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**Copyright:** © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

produced on farms. In Poland, the red deer (*Cervus elaphus*), the sika deer (*Cervus nippon*), and especially the fallow deer (*Dama dama*) are reared quite commonly [21]. Compared with other cervid species, fallow deer meat is regarded as a healthier product due to the higher content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) [17]. It is high in protein, heme iron, copper, zinc, and potassium and low in saturated fatty acids [17,18,22–25]. The meat of cervids is also a good source of nutritionally important conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) [25]. Due to the essential role of fat in the human diet, the quantity and quality of lipids in meat from various animal species are the focus of considerable research interest [7,26–31].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the fatty acid profile and nutraceutical properties of lipids in fallow deer (*Dama dama*) meat produced in organic and conventional farming systems. Additionally, an attempt was made to estimate the nutritional contribution of this type of meat in the diet of adults in terms of the levels of total fat, fatty acids, and cholesterol.
