Feed and forage to optimize reindeer production
Much of Interior Alaska is covered by boreal forest, which is not suitable for reindeer grazing; however, recent development of forage and cereal grain production could be utilized in farm settings to increase reindeer production. Reindeer will graze a wide variety of native graminoids in a free range setting but these forages cannot be grown in a farm environment. Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) and Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) are common pasture species grown in Alaska. These species are readily grazed by reindeer during summer and could be used as forage sources in a feed and pasture system. The supplementary use of pasture in an intensive feeding regime based on commercial reindeer feed mixtures could reduce annual feed costs but its effect on feed intake, growth rates and meat quality is unknown. The results from this project will add important information to our existing knowledge and contribute to a more complete survey of factors influencing reindeer meat quality along the whole chain from pasture to plate. In addition, it will be possible to determine the most cost-effective ratio of pasture/artificial feed for intensive reindeer production in Alaska. This project has started recently, data collection and evaluation is currently ongoing.
Carcass management and meat processing to improve lower quality cuts from reindeer carcasses
Reindeer meat has been marketed in Europe for many years and is often processed and prepared in traditional ways. Lower quality cuts can be pre-prepared by freezing, thinly slicing and cooking the meat in gravy, this dish (finnbiff/renskav) is often eaten with potatoes and lingonberry sauce. Reindeer meet has been sold in rural Alaska as cubed or "stew" meat for decades but the urban Alaskan and general American public have had very little exposure to the unique sensory characteristics of reindeer meat. As the Alaskan reindeer meat industry expands, processors, wholesalers, retail outlets and restaurants must have basic consumer preference information on which to base processing and marketing strategies. It is well known that the conditions during rigor development (e.g. muscle pH decline, temperature/pH relationship and carcass treatment) are very important in controlling meat tenderisation. Therefore, carcass suspension techniques have been studied for beef where the variation in tenderness is considered to be the main reason for consumer dissatisfaction. To our knowledge, the effect of pelvic suspension on tenderness in reindeer meat has not been previously studied. The goal of this project is to determine which method of processing of lower quality cuts from reindeer carcasses is most preferred by consumers. We will also compare the effects on meat tenderness of two different carcass suspension techniques. This project has just started; the meat samples have been collected, currently processing of the meat products and sensory evaluation is taking place.
