## 3 Results and Discussion
### Surface Color

Table 1: pH and instrumental color parameters (lightness (\(L^{\star}\)), redness (\(a^{\star}\)), yellowness (\(b^{\star}\)), hue angle, and chroma) of treated (2% lactic acid and 2% ascorbic acid mixture) and non-treated (control) venison steaks at each measurement day at \(4\pm 1\)\({}^{\circ}\)C.  
trimmings in 5% lactic acid. All these studies showed that lactic-acid-treated meat had higher \(L^{*}\) values than non-treated meat. These different results could be due to the fact that these researchers either dipped or tumbled steaks or trimmings into lactic acid solutions, whereas in this study and the one performed by [PERSON] et al. [24], lactic acid was only sprayed on the surface of the meat. Therefore, no difference in the \(L^{*}\) value was measured. As shown in Table 1, treated dear meat samples had not significantly different \(a^{*}\) values compared to non-treated control samples. The \(a^{*}\) values of treated and non-treated meat samples were significantly increased from day 14 of storage, treated and non-treated samples ranged between 9.4 and 9.2, with counts increasing to a range between 11.0 and 11.8 after 21 days in vacuum packaging. Metmyoglobin decrease and brown-to-red color reversion have also been recorded in vacuum-packed meats with increasing storage duration due to the action of endogenous muscle reductants in the absence of oxygen [43]. Although several factors can impact meat color stability, metmyoglobin formation by free radicals is predominant [44]. All the treated samples also had no significant difference in \(b^{*}\) values compared to the non-treated ones except on day 14. The chroma, which indicates the intensity of color, was observed to be not different in treated and non-treated samples. However, in the display period, chroma values increased in all samples. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [45] similarly found a significant increase in chroma values in ground buffalo meat preblended with 500 ppm of sodium ascorbate for 10-day refrigerated storage. \(\Delta E\) was calculated as the magnitude of difference in color space of treated and non-treated deer meat samples during the display period. Only on day 14 was a noticeable difference between treated and non-treated samples. Our results indicate that the effect of LA and AA mixture on deer meat color was not significantly different from non-treated samples, which is advantageous due to the fact that using acid might have a negative impact on meat color. The significant interactions between treatment and display time for \(L^{*}\), \(a^{*}\), and \(\Delta E\) values suggest that the combined effect of LA and AA treatment and display period on meat color is complex. Specifically, the significant difference in \(L^{*}\) and \(\Delta E\) values on day 14 highlights a critical time point where treatment effects are most pronounced. These findings indicate that while the LA and AA treatments did not consistently alter meat color compared to non-treated samples, specific interactions over time did influence certain color metrics. This nuanced understanding underscores the importance of considering both treatment and display periods in assessing meat quality. By focusing on these interactions, we can better understand the optimal conditions for preserving meat color and quality during storage and display.