Effect of pre-slaughter handling on the quality and microbiology of venison from farmed young red deer

Young stags, castrates and hinds, raised on heathery hill pasture were subjected to three levels of stress prior to slaughter. They were either individually penned overnight and shot, confined in threes in a pen overnight and stunned by captive bolt or confined in threes in a wire fenced pen overnight and then agitated by an older deer for 2 h and finally stunned by captive bolt. Some 30% of the stag and castrate carcasses had high ultimate pH (pH_u≥6.0) and the venison from these exhibited typical dark cutting appearance. The pH_u of the hind carcasses was <5.5. Overall there was no significant difference in pH_u between stressed and unstressed groups, but the incidence of high pH_u was greatest in the severely stressed stags and castrates. Texture of roasted M. semimembranosus pH_u of <6.0 was slightly to moderately tender and the high pH_u venison was very tender. Stress level did not affect the microbiological condition of the freshly skinned carcasses or the total viable counts on joints during storage at 1°C.