Meat Yield and Quality of Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758

The lynx (Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758) is a valuable game and fur farm animal. The article describes the game potential of the lynx in the Kirov Region, Russia, and the nutritional profile of lynx meat. The morphometric and physicochemical analysis covered 137 samples of lynx meat, 90 of which were tested for trichinosis. The statistical analysis involved MS Excel and Statgraphics software, as well as the methods of Student’s t-test, Fisher’s test, the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison method, and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test (p ≤ 0.05). Lynx meat demonstrated satisfactory nutritional value and sensory properties. The meat yield indicators made it possible to estimate the product value as 500 rubles/kg and its potential contribution to the regional economy (562,500 rubles if lynx is ever legalized as a game species). In terms of moisture content (50.47%), lynx meat was inferior to that of most conventional farm animals, except for pork. It contained 4.6 times as much ash (5.60%) as rabbit meat. In terms of protein content (25.14%), it demonstrated the highest indicators while being low in fat (1.81%) and calories (116.86 kcal/100 g). The highest ash content belonged to the meat of 18-month-old animals while the highest protein content was found in animals born in the year of consumption. The content of vitamin A was 4.0 times as low as in nutria meat but the content of vitamin E was 8.7 times as high. Lynx meat was rich in vitamins B1, B6, and B12 but contained little vitamins B2, B3, and B4. The sensory profile and physicochemical characteristics depended on the environmental conditions, diet, sex, age, physiological and reproductive status, season, and hunting methods. However, the high susceptibility to trichinosis in natural populations may affect the commercial potential of lynx meat. The data obtained can be used to develop state standards for lynx meat in the Russian Federation.