Improving food security and safety through use of edible by-products from wild game

Abstract

Game harvesting in South Africa generally leaves behind edible by-products, which could be a low-cost source of protein for poor people in rural areas. Seven professional and nine recreational hunters were interviewed, a game harvest and trophy hunt attended and literature reviewed, in order to describe the food value chain for game and ways in which edible by-products could be legally channelled into the human food chain, rather than being left in the field for scavengers. Practices of informal vendors (n = 51) were assessed using structured interviews, observation and microbiological analysis. In an experiment, inspected game by-products (shinbones from impala and springbok) were provided to eight informal traders for cooking at an informal market and microbiological analysis was done before and after preparation. The results showed that providing edible by-products to poor consumers appears to be culturally acceptable, affordable, accessible and safe. A crossover from formal to informal marketing is recommended as it would enhance traceability and safety of the product and minimise the risk of poaching. It is suggested that methods should be developed which make the distribution of edible byproducts to vulnerable rural communities feasible.

Carcass Yields and Physiochemical Meat Quality of Semi-extensive and Intensively Farmed Impala (Aepyceros melampus)

“…The internal and external offal of impala is considered to be an edible by-product of meat production and may provide a wholesome and cost-efficient alternative protein source that may contribute to food security in Africa, with one impala yielding as much as three kilograms of edible offal [11]. In the present study, female impala had higher total offal yields than males, despite the males having higher total external offal yield, due to the significantly higher GIT yield of the females.…”

“…Antelope species also tend to show higher dressing percentages than domestic livestock, which is indicative of a lower offal and higher meat yield, but dressing percentages can vary significantly between game species due to differences in internal and external offal yield [7]. Of the antelope farmed in South Africa, impala meat is a popular choice for game meat export, with a contribution of approximately 20,858 kg exported in 2008 [11]. Impala have a wide geographical distribution throughout Africa (South Africa, Angola, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya), rapid reproductive rate and relative abundance as a species that make them ideal for sustainable culling regimes [12][13][14].…”

Carcass and Offal Yields of Farmed Common Eland (Taurotragus oryx) Males, as Affected by Age and Immunocastration

“…An often-overlooked portion of the unprocessed carcass is the edible offal yield; however, this fraction is extremely relevant to human nutrition, particularly in the diet of developing countries, such as Africa and Asia [ 39 , 40 ]. Edible offal includes a diverse range of organs and carcass by-products, including the heart, tongue, lungs, spleen, kidneys, feet, head, gastrointestinal tract, testes, brains, bone marrow, blood, etc.…”

Sensory Characteristics of Male Impala (Aepyceros melampus) Meat, Produced under Varying Production Systems and Nutrition

“…Together with the intensification of production systems, feed supplementation with total mixed rations (TMR) is often practiced to different extents to improve their breeding success and slaughter performance of culled animals [ 13 ]. The impala ( Aepyceros melampus ) is not only a popular choice for the breeding of color variants, such as the black impala [ 14 ], but it is one of most popular species for hunting, local consumption, and meat exportation [ 15 ]. Impala have a high fecundity [ 16 ], produce high carcass yields [ 17 ], and have tender meat [ 17 , 18 ], which makes them an ideal game animal to incorporate into the commercial meat market under sustainable culling regimes.…”