Nutritive value and meat quality of domestic cattle (Bos taurus), zubron (Bos taurus x Bison bonasus) and European bison (Bison bonasus) meat

The objective of the experiment was to study the nutritive value and meat quality aspects of domestic cattle (Bos taurus), zubron (Bos taurus x Bison bonasus) and European bison (Bison bonasus) meat. The bulls and zubrons were fattened to 600-650 kg of body weight using the same feeding regimen. The European bison meat was from selective shooting of males. The meat was analysed for chemical composition, fatty acid composition, meat quality characteristics and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) value. Compared to beef, zubron and European bison meat had a lower content of crude fat, crude ash and a higher moisture content. The meat of the zubrons and European bison showed a lower content of saturated fatty acids and a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to beef. The shear force of meat was highest for European bison meat and lowest for beef. Higher a* and b* colour parameters were established in European bison and zubron meat. The highest TBARS value was found in beef.