Chemical composition and selected element contents of livers from wild game hunted in Austria

We examined in total 106 livers from wild game hunted in Austria (roe deer, red deer, chamois, capercaille, black grouse, mouflon, wild boar, wild geese, ducks, hare, red fox and marmot) with respect to gross composition (crude protein, fat, mineral content, moisture) and contents of iron, copper and vitamin A. Contents of crude protein, crude fat and minerals were in the range of 16.1-21.1; 1.0-4.1 and 1.1-1.6 g/100g wet weight, respectively, and, thus, in the range reported for livers from farm animals. Contents of iron in livers of wild birds (22.3-89.7 mg/kg) were lower than in those from other game (72-178 mg/kg), with exception of mouflon. Similar values are reported for liver from poultry or cattle and pig, respectively. Copper contents were from 6 to 40 mg/kg, similar to those for livers from farm animals such as cow, pig and sheep (5-87 mg/kg). Vitamin A content was from 750 to 946 mg/kg in liver from wild birds, and higher in those from red fox, but lower in other game species. Considerable intra-species variations were observed for Fe-, Cu- and vitamin-A-contents. Due to the relatively high pH-value of above 6.0 liver from hunted wild game is a perishable product, which requires low temperatures during cold storage. We examined in total 106 livers from wild game hunted in Austria (roe deer, red deer, chamois, capercaille, black grouse, mouflon, wild boar, wild geese, ducks, hare, red fox and marmot) with respect to gross composition (crude protein, fat, mineral content, moisture) and contents of iron, copper and vitamin A. Contents of crude protein, crude fat and minerals were in the range of 16.1-21.1; 1.0-4.1 and 1.1-1.6 g/100g wet weight, respectively, and, thus, in the range reported for livers from farm animals. Contents of iron in livers of wild birds (22.3-89.7 mg/kg) were lower than in those from other game (72-178 mg/kg), with exception of mouflon. Similar values are reported for liver from poultry or cattle and pig, respectively. Copper contents were from 6 to 40 mg/kg, similar to those for livers from farm animals such as cow, pig and sheep (5-87 mg/kg). Vitamin A content was from 750 to 946 mg/kg in liver from wild birds, and higher in those from red fox, but lower in other game species. Considerable intra-species variations were observed for Fe-, Cu- and vitamin-A-contents. Due to the relatively high pH-value of above 6.0 liver from hunted wild game is a perishable product, which requires low temperatures during cold storage.

• Die Leber einheimischer Wildtiere im Hinblick auf ihre Inhaltstoffe.

Bezirkshauptmannschaft Murau
Gesell Wildtier & Lebensraum
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien