Nutritional Information

Nutrient Content of Game Meats

Prepared by:
Dennis Buege
Extension Meat Specialist
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Between 1981 and 1986, Professor Martin Marchello from the Department of Animal and Range Science at North Dakota State University analyzed the composition of muscle from various game species as well as several domestic meat sources. From all animals, samples of raw-defatted loin (longissimus) muscle were analyzed. From all birds, raw skinned breast muscle samples were analyzed. The information collected represents a useful comparison of similar muscle from among different species, analyzed under identical laboratory conditions and procedures. On this page is a summary of Professor Marchello's results.
Nutrient Content of Raw, Trimmed Lean
Animals1 No. of Samples Protein
gm/100gm		 Fat
gm/100gm		 Calories3
kCal/100g		 Cholesterol
mg/100g
Beef(USDA std)4 20 22.7 2.7 158 69
Pork 10 22.3 4.9 165 71
White Tail Deer 21 23.6 1.4 153 113
Mule Deer 29 23.2 1.6 151 85
Elk 16 22.9 0.9 138 65
Moose 33 22.1 0.6 130 59
Antelope 24 22.6 1.0 148 113
Bison 16 21.7 1.9 146 45
Squirrel 15 21.4 3.2 149 83
Cottontail 26 21.8 2.4 144 77
Jackrabbit 8 21.9 2.5 153 131
Birds2
Chicken 10 23.6 0.7 140 58
Turkey (Domestic) 24 23.5 1.5 146 60
Pheasant 27 25.7 0.6 149 49
Sharptail Grouse 28 23.8 0.7 142 105
Sage Grouse 23 23.7 1.1 140 97
Wild Turkey 16 25.8 1.1 158 58
Sandhill Crane 27 21.9 2.7 156 133
Snow/Blue Goose 25 22.7 3.6 171 124
Canada(lesser) 7 22.7 3.9 171 105
Mallard 15 23.2 2.0 154 143
Dove 9 22.9 1.8 151 91
1. Defatted loin muscle analyzed
2. Skinned breast muscle analyzed
3. Determined by bomb colorimetry
4. This study utilized beef loins from the USDA quality grade of Standard. This grade of beef is almost devoid of visible marbling in the loin muscle. Loin muscle from the Choice grade of beef would have small to moderate amounts of marbling, and contain 5 to 7% fat in the raw state.