Variation in Nutritional Composition of Anatomical Parts and Taxonomic Classes of Wild Animals: A Systematic Review Using Data Imputation with Artificial Intelligence

Wildmeat is crucial for the food security of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, yet information about its nutritional profile remains scarce. This study systematically reviewed the impact of anatomical part and taxonomic class (mammals, birds, reptiles) on the nutritional composition of wildmeat. Using the PRISMA protocol, we selected articles from Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline/PubMed databases, with criteria including original articles on wild animal meat composition consumed by humans, excluding studies presenting secondary data or lacking detailed methodologies. We employed a quality questionnaire and concordance analysis (Fleiss Kappa = 1.00) for robustness. Artificial intelligence techniques (eg., K-Nearest Neighbors) estimated missing nutritional values in all 21 articles included in our study, covering 26 species and 10 nutrients. Results show statistically significant nutritional variations between anatomical parts and animal classes. Reptile viscera have over twice the fat content and triple the iron compared to muscles. Mammal viscera contain five times more omega-6 and selenium, four times more iron and manganese, and almost double the zinc compared to muscles. Among classes, bird muscles have over 90% higher fat content than mammal muscles and 20% higher than reptile muscles. Mammals have over 100% higher zinc levels than birds, and reptiles have over 400% more selenium than birds. No significant difference in iron content between mammals and birds was noted, likely due to bird slaughter methods. This study highlights the importance of wildmeat for food security. Importantly, we demonstrate an enormous variation in nutritional composition, underscoring how different anatomical parts and taxonomic classes can contribute to tackling different nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, it introduces a novel methodology for handling missing nutritional composition data, providing a comprehensive approach to understanding the nutritional value of wildmeat. Our findings can inform food security policies and wildlife management, balancing conservation and subsistence.