Iodine and Selenium Contents in Skeletal Muscles of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the Czech Republic

The objective of this study was to examine iodine and selenium contents in skeletal muscles of selected species of game animals living in regions with low iodine and selenium contents in the soil and water. Iodine content was determined in 66 samples of skeletal muscles of red deer cut out of the musculus gracilis, 32 samples and 27 samples from the same muscle of roe deer and wild boar, respectively. The shot game animals came from hunting grounds in western and southern regions of the Czech Republic and in Protected Landscape Area Šumava. In red deer muscles the average iodine content was 44.9 ± 15.2 μg I·kg -1 wet weight with the range of 6.9 to 82.0 μg I·kg -1 . The lower concentration in roe deer meat with the average 39.3 ± 14.1 μg I·kg -1 and the range from 18.3 to 84.4 μg I·kg -1 may be due to differences between biotopes and food. The average iodine concentration in the musculus gracilis of wild boars was 55.9± 27.0 μg·kg -1 wet weight. Selenium content was determined in 22 samples of red deer, 51 samples of roe deer and 27 samples of wild boar skeletal muscles. The average values of selenium content in the meat of red deer, roe deer and wild boars were 16.2 ± 8.4, 36.9 ± 16.6 and 27.6 ± 19.8 μg Se·kg -1 wet weight, respectively. All three species of game animals are characterised by low content and high variability of selenium concentration in meat with the minimum value 3.9 µg and maximum value 83.3 μg·kg -1 wet weight. The study brings new data on iodine and selenium content in the muscle of game animals in the Czech Republic.