Studies on ostrich (Struthio camelus) meat – review

Resumen

Globally, ostrich meat is considered a gourmet product, as high-nutritive-value red meat, it fits into the diet. This study aimed to gather the most significant information on ostrich meat quality and characteristics based on the literature. We also made a comparison between an ostrich, beef, poultry, and pork meat. Meat quality is influenced by many genetic, environmental, management, and processing technological factors which can be different in respect of farms and countries. Meat quality measures include color, pH, nutritional composition, technological parameters, and organoleptic value. Ostrich meat has a dark red color similar, to but slightly darker than beef. The pH at 24 hours post mortem (pH24) is moderately acidic, between 5.8 and 6.2. The ostrich meat is rich in protein (18-22 %) similar to pork but richer than poultry and beef. Ostrich has lean meat with low-fat content (1-4.5 %) compared to other domestic species. The ostrich meat is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, also the saturated fatty acid content is lower compared to other species. The technological losses are higher compared to beef and pork. The organoleptic value is average, but regarding flavor and tenderness, we can find statistical differences between the meat parts.