Investigation of Elemental Contents in Wild Goat Meat (Capra aegagrus aegagrus)

This study focuses on Capra aegagrus aegagrus, a subspecies of wild goat listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Hunting of males aged 8 years and older is allowed due to their low reproductive capacity. This study aimed to analyze essential and potentially toxic elements in meat of male C. aegagrus aegagrus from a high altitude protected area in Mersin using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Thigh muscle samples from 18 males aged 10 years and older were analyzed. Phosphorus, potassium, and calcium were the most abundant macro elements in the samples, while sodium and magnesium were the lowest. Iron was the most abundant microelement, followed in decreasing order by zinc, copper, manganese, boron, selenium, cobalt, chromium, vanadium, and nickel. Among the potentially toxic metals, lead had the highest concentration. Arsenic, antimony, strontium, cadmium, aluminum, and barium were found in lower concentrations. Tin was not detected in the samples. High levels of potassium, phosphorous, and iron suggest nutritional benefits but potentially toxic elements must be monitored to ensure safety.