Compositional characteristics and nutritional quality of European beaver (Castor fiber L.) meat and its utility for sausage production

Abstract

The composition of European beaver (Castor fiber L.) meat and its utility for sausage production were investigated. Beaver meat has a high concentration of protein (21.44% wet weight) with the high content of available lysine (1.97 g/100 g) and tryptophan (0.29 g/100 g). The fat (5.08%) was characterised by a generally high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (35%) and lower proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (29%). Octadecenoic acid (C18:1) was a dominant monounsaturated fatty acid. Beaver muscles were characterised by generally small muscle fibres, thick perimysium and low amount of intramuscular fat, thus this raw material may be used in sausage production as an alternative to pork. The most positive effects of beaver meat addition on the texture and palatability of sausages were obtained when about 20-40% of this kind of meat was used.