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

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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.