Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2025, 73(4-5), 253-263 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun.2025.018

THE MEAT YIELD AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WILD TURKEY (MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO L.) MEAT RAISED IN A SEMI-WILD MANNER

Peter Haščík ORCID...1, Martin Fik ORCID...2, Bučko Ondřej ORCID...2, Adriana Pavelková ORCID...1
1 Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Food Sciences, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
2 Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Institute of Animal Husbandry, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo L.) are considered a promising source of high-quality poultry meat. The aim of this study was to evaluate the meat yield and selected physicochemical properties of semi-wild wild turkeys, including water, protein, fat and cholesterol content, amino acid and fatty acid profiles and meat colour. The average carcass yield without head was 79.56%. The water content ranged from 69.25 (breast) to 71.39 g/100 g (thigh), the protein content from 23.19 (thigh) to 26.24 g/100 g (breast) and the fat from 0.95 (breast) to 2.03 g/100 g (thigh). Cholesterol content was lower in breast (41 mg/100 g) and higher in thigh (56 mg/100 g). Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) in amino acid composition were found between breast and thigh muscles. Fatty acid composition was significantly different (P ≤ 0.05), especially in DHA, EPA, omega-3, omega-6, PUFA and SAFA levels. Breast muscle showed higher lightness (L* = 41.03) and lower redness (a* = 1.27) and yellowness (b* = 6.56) compared to thigh (P ≤ 0.05). The results confirm that wild turkeys raised in semi-wild conditions produce nutritionally valuable meat with desirable physicochemical properties, making them suitable for sustainable and functional poultry meat production.

Keywords: wild turkey, meat yield, physical-chemical composition, amino acid, fatty acid

Received: June 17, 2025; Revised: July 30, 2025; Accepted: August 5, 2025; Published: October 31, 2025  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Haščík, P., Fik, M., Ondřej, B., & Pavelková, A. (2025). THE MEAT YIELD AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WILD TURKEY (MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO L.) MEAT RAISED IN A SEMI-WILD MANNER. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 73(4-5), 253-263. doi: 10.11118/actaun.2025.018
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. AL-BAIDHANI, A. M., AL-QUTAIFI, H. K. 2021. Nutritional and Industrial Value of Turkey Meat "Meleagris Gallopavo": Review. Al-Qadisiyah Journal For Agriculture Sciences. 11(2), 114-125. https://doi.org/10.33794/qjas.2021.132315.1016 Go to original source...
    2. AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION. 2008. Dietary guidelines for healthy American adults. Cholesterol. Fat. In: Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia. Dallas.
    3. APETROAEI (PETRESCU), C. A., LAZAR, R., CIOBANU, M. M. et al. 2012. Research on the chemical characterization of turkey meat. Lucrări Ştiinţifice - Seria Zootehnie. 57, 112-114.
    4. ATTIA, Y. A., AL-HARTHI, M. A., KORISH, M. A., SHIBOOB, M. M. 2017. Fatty acid and cholesterol profiles, hypocholes terolemic, atherogenic, and thrombogenic indices of broiler meat in the retail market. Lipids in Health and Disease. 16(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-017-0423-8 Go to original source...
    5. BAÉZA, E., GUILLIER, L., PETRACCI, M. 2022. Review: Production factors affecting poultry carcass and meat quality attributes. Animal. 16, 100331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100331 Go to original source...
    6. BENKOVA, J., LUKACKA, J. 1994. Chemicke a fyzikalne vlastnosti svalov 16-tyzdnovych moriek Ivagal. Journal of Farm Animal Science. 27, 123-130.
    7. BOBKOVÁ, A., POLÁKOVÁ, K., DEMIANOVÁ, A. et al. 2022. Comparative Analysis of Selected Chemical Parameters of Coffea arabica, from Cascara to Silverskin. Foods, 11(8), 1082. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11081082 Go to original source...
    8. CZECH, A., DOMARADZKI, P., NIEDZIELAK, M. et al. 2024. Nutritional Value and Physicochemical Properties of Male and Female Broad-Breasted Bronze Turkey Muscle. Foods. 13(9), 1369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ foods13091369 Go to original source...
    9. DUCLOS, M. J., BERRI, C., LE BIHAN-DUVAL, E. 2007. Muscle Growth and Meat Quality. Journal of Applied Poultry Research. 16(1), 107-112. https://doi.org/10.1093/japr/16.1.107 Go to original source...
    10. GÁLVEZ, F., DOMÍNGUEZ, R., MAGGIOLINO, A. et al. 2020. Meat quality of commercial chickens reared in different production systems: industrial, range and organic. Annals of Animal Science, 20(1), 263-285. https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2019-0067 Go to original source...
    11. GÁLVEZ, F., DOMÍNGUEZ, R., PATEIRO, M. et al. 2018. Effect of gender on breast and thigh turkey meat quality. British Poultry Science. 59(4), 408-415. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071668.2018.1465177 Go to original source...
    12. CHIZZOLINI, R., ZANARDI, E., DORIGONI, V. et al. 1999. Calorific value and cholesterol content of normal and low-fat meat and meat products. Trends in Food Science and Technology. 10(4-5), 119-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0924-2244(99)00034-5 Go to original source...
    13. JUAREZ-CARATACHEA, A. 2004. Efecto del peso corporal en el rendimiento de la masa muscular en el pavo nativo. Mexicano. Revista Cubana de Ciencia Agrícola. 38(4), 405-409.
    14. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC. 2004. Decree of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic No. 2145/2004-100 of 23 August 2004 changing and amending Decree of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic No. 1497/1/1997-100 of 7 October 1997 regulating laboratory testing and feed assessment as amended by Decree of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic No. 149/2/2003-100 of 12 February 2003.
    15. MOZDZIAK, P. 2019. Species of Meat Animals: Poultry. Reference Module in Food Science. Elsevier, pp. 1-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100596-5.22959-4 Go to original source...
    16. OBLAKOVA, M. 2004. Stady of growth potentials and slaughter analysis of BUT- 9 broiler turkey poults. Bulgarian Journal of Animal Science, 10, 137-142.
    17. OBLAKOVA, M., HRISTAKIEVA, P., LALEV, M. 2009. Slaughter analysis of poults hatched from eggs of different mass. I: International science conference Economics and Society development on the Base of Knowledge. 4-5 June, 2009, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, pp. 162-167.
    18. OBLAKOVA, M., RIBARSKI, S., OBLAKOV, N. et al. 2016. Chemical composition and quality of turkey - broiler meat from crosses of layer light (LL) and meat heavy (MH) turkey. Trakia Journal of Science. 14(2), 142-147. https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2016.02.004 Go to original source...
    19. ONK, K., YANCINTAN, H., SARI, M. et al. 2019. Effects of genotype and sex on technological properties and fatty acid composition of duck meat. Poultry Science, 98(1), 491-499. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey355 Go to original source...
    20. PÉREZ-LARA, M. A., CAMACHO-ESCOBAR, J. C., GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, S. et al. 2013. Mathematical modeling of the native Mexican turkey's growth. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 03(04), 305-310. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojas.2013.34045 Go to original source...
    21. PORTILLO-SALGADO, R., HERRERA HARO, J. G., BAUTISTA-ORTEGA, J. et al. 2022. Guajolote - A poultry genetic resource native to Mexico. World's Poultry Science Journal, 78(2), 467-482. https://doi.org/10.1080/00439339.2022.2028217 Go to original source...
    22. PORTILLO-SALGADO, R., HERRERA-HARO, J. G., BAUTISTA-ORTEGA, J. et al. 2023. Carcass composition and physicochemical and sensory attributes of breast and leg meat from native Mexican guajolote (Meleagris g. gallopavo) as influenced by sex. Archives Animal Breeding. 66(4), 341-355. https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-66-341-2023 Go to original source...
    23. PORTILLO-SALGADO, R., HERRERA-HARO, J. G., BAUTISTA-ORTEGA, J. et al. 2022. Effects of slaughter age and gender on carcase characteristics and meat quality of native Mexican Turkey (M. g. gallopavo) reared under an extensive production system. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 21(1), 1442-1452. https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051x.2022.2121667 Go to original source...
    24. RAMÍREZ-RIVERA, E. DE J., CAMACHO-ESCOBAR, M. A., GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, J. C. et al. 2012. Sensory analysis of Creole turkey meat with flash profile method. Open Journal of Animal Sciences. 02(01), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojas.2012.21001 Go to original source...
    25. RIBARSKI, S., LALEV, M., OBLAKOVA, M. 2001. Phisico-chemical characteristics and micromorphological feature of turkey skeleton musculature. Zhivotnov"dni Nauki (Bulgaria)/Journal of animal science. 38(2), 106-109.
    26. RIBARSKI, S., OBLAKOVA, M. 2016. Slaughter yield and quality of meat from wild turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris Vieillot) reared in hunting reserve in South Bulgaria. Trakia Journal of Science, 14(2), 135-141. https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2016.02.003 Go to original source...
    27. ROBERSON, K. D., KALBFLIESCH, J. L., DRANSFIELD, D. 2004. Comparison of Growth Performance and Carcass Component Yield of a New Strain of Tom Turkeys to Other Commercial Strains. International Journal of Poultry Science. 3(12), 791-795. https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2004.791.795 Go to original source...
    28. SOLAESA, Á. G., GARCÍA-BARROSO, C., ROMERO, C. et al. 2024. Nutritional composition and technological properties determining the quality of different cuts of organic and conventional Turkey meat. Poultry Science. 103(12), 104331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.104331 Go to original source...
    29. STRAKOVÁ, E., SUCHÝ, P., HERZIG, I. et al. 2016. Amino Acid Levels in Muscle Tissue of Six Wild Feathered Species. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis. 64(5), 1661-1666. https://doi.org/10.11118/actaun201664051661 Go to original source...
    30. STRAKOVÁ, E., SUCHÝ, P., NAVRÁTIL, P. et al. 2015. Comparison of the content of crude protein and amino acids in the whole bodies of cocks and hens of Ross 308 and Cobb 500 hybrids at the end of fattening. Czech Journal of Animal Science. 60(2), 67-74. https://doi.org/10.17221/7976-cjas Go to original source...
    31. ŠILER, R., KNÍŽE, B., KNÍŽETOVÁ, H. 1980. Růst a produkce masa u hospodářských zvířat. Praha: Státní zem. naklad.
    32. UHLÍŘOVÁ, L., TŮMOVÁ, E., CHODOVÁ, D. et al. 2018. The effect of age, genotype and sex on carcass traits, meat quality and sensory attributes of geese. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences. 31(3), 421-428. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.17.0197 Go to original source...
    33. WEGNER, M., KOKOSZYŃSKI, D., NĘDZAREK, A. et al. 2025. Meat quality of turkeys after reproductive period depending on genotype and sex. Poultry Science. 104(6), 105094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105094 Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content