INTRODUCTIONNumerous studies have shown that food productionin Russia does not meet the physiological needs ofRussian people, especially those in the Extreme North.The northern population, including children, has aseverely unbalanced diet, which has been confirmed byextensive epidemiological studies and recent monitoringof nutritional status. Such food patterns result in anincreased occurrence of nutritional diseases, lowerefficiency, and reduced life expectancy, leading tounjustified social and economic losses. According to theWHO, nutrition accounts for 70% of people’s health andphysical development [1].Using local raw materials and creating an indigenousmetabolic type of nutrition can be the fastest andmost effective way to improve the diet and eliminatemicronutrient deficiencies [2–5].Enriching foods with functional ingredients is one ofthe promising directions in this area. Such ingredientscan regulate the amount of essential substances in thehuman body [6, 7].Of no less importance is the production ofcombined meat products from indigenous animals withthe addition of plant materials with high consumerappeal [8–11].STUDY OBJECTS AND METHODSThe objects of the study were meat samplesderived from ungulates of various sex and age groups.Nutritional value indicators were determined as follows:– moisture mass fraction: according to State Standard23042-86*;– protein mass fraction: using the Kjeldahl method fornitrogen determination, State Standard 25011-81**;Research Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.21603/2308-4057-2019-2-412-418Open Access Available online at http:jfrm.ruChemical composition of indigenous raw meatsViktor G. Shelepov1, * , Vladimir A. Uglov1 , Elena V. Boroday1 , Valeriy M. Poznyakovsky21 Siberian Federal scientific Centre of Agrobiotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia2 Kemerovo State Agricultural Institute, Kemerovo, Russia* e-mail: vshelepov@yandex.ruReceived August 22, 2019; Accepted in revised form September 30, 2019; Published October 21, 2019Abstract: Using non-traditional raw meats is a promising direction of the meat industry. They include venison and meat from yak,elk, red deer, rabbits, ostriches, upland game, and musk-ox. The study aimed to compare the biochemical and physicochemicalparameters of the meat from reindeer, elk, and musk-ox living in the Yenisei North. We found that these meats had a high biologicalvalue. First, we studied the composition of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals in the meat from reindeer of various sexand age groups. We found that the difference between the contents of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids and their ratio in adultand young reindeer males was in favour of young males, while these parameters did not differ in the meat from reindeer females ofvarious age groups. Nevertheless, reindeer females had a higher content of saturated acids compared to reindeer male meat. Further,we studied the composition of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals in Taimyr elk and musk-ox meats. According to theresults, the contents of essential amino acids in Taimyr elk and musk-ox meats were 60% and 55%, respectively. In both cases, thedominant amino acids were leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and valine. The study revealed the benefits of using indigenous meats insausage production. Finally, we showed the influence of starter cultures on the quality of dry sausages and developed formulationsof venison-based sausages.Keywords: Meat industry, ungulate meat, protein quality index, amino acids, vitamins, macroelements, microelements, indigenousanimalsPlease cite this article in press as: Shelepov VG, Uglov VA, Boroday EV, Poznyakovsky VM. Chemical composition of indigenousraw meats. Foods and Raw Materials. 2019;7(2):412–418. DOI: http://doi.org/10.21603/2308-4057-2019-2-412-418.Copyright © 2019, Shelepov et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 InternationalLicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix,transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.Foods and Raw Materials, 2019, vol. 7, no. 2E-ISSN 2310-9599ISSN 2308-4057* State Standard 23042-86. Meat and meat products. Methods of fatdetermination. Moscow: Standartinform; 2010. 5 p.** State Standard 25011-81. Meat and meat products. Methods ofprotein determination. Moscow: Standartinform; 2010. 7 p.413Shelepov V.G. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2019, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 412–418– mineral composition: by mass spectrometry;– amino acid composition: using Hitachi L-8800 andHitachi-835 amino acid analysers;– fat content: using a Soxhlet apparatus, State Standard23042-86;– fatty acid composition: by gas-liquid chromatography;and– vitamin content: by infrared spectroscopy.Coliform bacteria were assayed according to StateStandard R 52816-2007***; Salmonella – according toState Standard R 50480-93****. The microstructuralindicators of meat were obtained using a StereoDiscovery V8 microscope. The 192 × magnified imageswere taken using a computer video system with Zeisslenses.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe first stage of the study focused on the aminoacid, vitamin, and mineral composition of raw meats.The second stage aimed to develop a sausage technology.Table 1 shows the amino acid composition ofreindeer meat.A high content of essential amino acids in reindeermeat makes it a balanced type of raw meat.In the body, tryptophan is converted into biologicallyactive compounds containing an indole ring (tryptamine,*** State Standard R 52816-2007. Food products. Methods fordetection and quantity determination of coliformes. Moscow:Standartinform; 2010. 17 p.**** State Standard R 50480-93. Food products. Method for detectionof Salmonella. Moscow: Izdatelʹstvo Standartov; 1993. 13 p.serotonin, and adrenochrome) and a pyridine ring(nicotinic acid, or vitamin PP). Tryptophan is usedin treatment of heart disease to control body weight,suppress appetite, alleviate migraine attacks, andreduce the harmful effects of nicotine. Phenylalanineis oxidized to tyrosine. These amino acids aresubstrates for the synthesis of thyroxine, adrenaline,and noradrenaline. Phenylalanine is involved in thesynthesis of collagen and connective tissue. It improvesmemory, attention, and circulation and contributes to theformation of insulin. Sulphur-containing amino acids arevital biologically active compounds. They are substratesfor the synthesis of glutathione, insulin, lipoic acid,vitamin B1, and a number of enzymes.The fatty acid, vitamin, and mineral compositions ofreindeer meat are presented in Tables 2–4.According Table 2, the meat of females had a highercontent of saturated fatty acids than that of males.Unsaturated fatty acids were dominated by oleic acid,accounting for 65.3%.The comparison of age and sex groups showedthat the meat of female calves was richer in vitaminscompared to male calves. The adult meats had a highervitamin content compared to the young meats.We noted that the content of macro- andmicroelements in reindeer meat increased with the ageof the animals.Elk meat is rich in phosphorus, potassium, andsodium. Phosphorus is part of organic compounds inphospholipids, nucleotides, and phosphoproteins. It isinvolved in the metabolism and maintains the acid-baseTable 1 Amino acid composition of reindeer meat by age and sex groupAmino acid Content, g/100 gCalves Youngsters Adultsmale female male female male female castratesNon-essential, incl.: 30.91 ± 0.59 31.45 ± 0.45 32.37 ± 0.13 30.95 ± 0.43 31.60 ± 0.22 31.63 ± 0.44 32.33Tryptophan 0.71 ± 0.03 0.75 ± 0.01 0.72 ± 0.01 0.79 ± 0.02 0.84 ± 0.01 0.79 ± 0.02 0.82Isoleucine 3.87 ± 0.11 3.85 ± 0.10 3.92 ± 0.16 3.85 ± 0.08 3.94 ± 0.07 3.36 ± 0.19 3.89Threonine 3.20 ± 0.06 3.30 ± 0.07 3.14 ± 0.05 3.19 ± 0.05 3.29 ± 0.05 3.11 ± 0.06 3.23Valine 4.33 ± 0.06 4.20 ± 0.07 4.55 ± 0.07 4.32 ± 0.05 4.23 ± 0.07 4.46 ± 0.10 4.32Methionine 1.35 ± 0.03 1.36 ± 0.02 1.31 ± 0.02 1.33 ± 0.02 1.36 ± 0.01 1.34 ± 0.04 1.35Methionine + cystine 2.48 ± 0.05 2.53 ± 0.04 2.45 ± 0.04 2.49 ± 0.04 2.54 ± 0.03 2.44 ± 0.05 2.49Leucine 6.81 ± 0.54 7.32 ± 0.16 7.96 ± 0.11 6.84 ± 0.42 7.30 ± 0.13 7.88 ± 0.17 7.99Phenylalanine 3.47 ± 0.05 3.37 ± 0.07 3.68 ± 0.06 3.46 ± 0.04 3.35 ± 0.04 3.56 ± 0.09 3.52Lysine 4.69 ± 0.08 4.76 ± 0.05 4.64 ± 0.06 4.68 ± 0.07 4.75 ± 0.04 4.69 ± 0.08 4.72Essential, incl.: 24.68 ± 0.30 24.27 ± 0.38 26.07 ± 0.27 24.98 ± 0.23 24.19 ± 0.27 25.66 ± 0.37 24.82Oxyproline 0.052 ± 0.006 0.052 ± 0.008 0.055 ± 0.01 0.052 ± 0.004 0.052 ± 0.01 0.054 ± 0.01 0.052Serine 2.38 ± 0.03 2.33 ± 0.05 2.51 ± 0.03 2.36 ± 0.02 2.33 ± 0.03 2.49 ± 0.07 2.41Glycine 3.75 ± 0.03 3.66 ± 0.05 4.03 ± 0.05 3.74 ± 0.03 3.66 ± 0.04 3.83 ± 0.07 3.73Alanine 3.16 ± 0.12 3.19 ± 0.04 3.47 ± 0.05 3.12 ± 0.09 3.17 ± 0.03 3.38 ± 0.07 –Glutamine 6.82 ± 0.07 6.63 ± 0.14 7.19 ± 0.11 6.81 ± 0.06 6.69 ± 0.10 6.98 ± 0.16 6.76Proline 3.89 ± 0.11 3.67 ± 0.17 3.86 ± 0.16 3.84 ± 0.09 3.55 ± 0.12 4.18 ± 0.24 3.87Arginine 4.16 ± 0.25 4.28 ± 0.11 4.46 ± 0.07 4.59 ± 0.19 4.27 ± 0.08 4.26 ± 0.14 4.25Total: 55.59 ± 0.70 55.72 ± 0.81 58.44 ± 0.23 55.93 ± 0.53 55.79 ± 0.49 57.29 ± 0.79 57.15414Shelepov V.G. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2019, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 412–418balance in the body. Potassium and sodium are elementsof the reticuloendothelial system present in the hydratedlayer of bone tissue crystals. They play an important rolein maintaining the osmotic pressure of the blood. Elkmeat is also rich in iron, a vital part of haemoglobin. Itpromotes oxygen transfer from the lungs to tissues andperforms a catalytic function, participating in redoxreactions. In addition, elk meat has a rather high contentof zinc and copper participating in many biochemicalprocesses.Tables 5–8 show the contents of amino acids,vitamins, and minerals, as well as the fatty acidcomposition of Taimyr elk meat.We found that Taimyr elk meat had all essentialamino acids in the amounts close to the standard.Arginine is a vital component of muscle tissuemetabolism. It maintains the optimal nitrogen balance inthe body, slows down tumour growth, and stimulates theimmune system. The biochemical analysis of elk meatindicated its high biological value.Table 2 Fatty acid composition of reindeer meat by age and sex groupFatty acid Content, g/kgCalves Youngsters Adultsmale female male female male femaleSaturated, incl.: 7.65 ± 0.07 7.44 ± 0.17 8.76 ± 0.09 8.73 ± 0.10 8.90 ± 0.11 9.04 ± 0.07Lauric 1.10 ± 0.04 1.14 ± 0.04 1.11 ± 0.03 1.1 ± 0.03 1.14 ± 0.03 1.08 ± 0.03Myristine 0.06 ± 0.003 0.06 ± 0.004 0.05 ± 0.01 0.06 ± 0.01 0.06 ± 0.01 0.06 ± 0.01Palmitic 2.26 ± 0.05 2.28 ± 0.09 2.12 ± 0.03 2.18 ± 0.05 2.28 ± 0.06 2.25 ± 0.04Stearin 5.62 ± 0.09 5.37 ± 0.19 5.42 ± 0.12 5.30 ± 0.09 5.34 ± 0.15 5.58 ± 0.07Eicosanic 0.07 ± 0.001 0.07 ± 0.003 0.06 ± 0.01 0.07 ± 0.01 0.07 ± 0.01 0.07 ± 0.01Unsaturated, incl.: 7.78 ± 0.03 7.79 ± 0.05 6.46 ± 0.04 6.32 ± 0.05 6.32 ± 0.06 6.30 ± 0.03Palmitoleic 0.81 ± 0.01 0.80 ± 0.02 0.90 ± 0.01 0.88 ± 0.03 0.80 ± 0.01 0.80 ± 0.01Oleic 4.55 ± 0.04 4.53 ± 0.03 4.59 ± 0.02 4.59 ± 0.02 4.53 ± 0.02 4.54 ± 0.02Linoleic 0.83 ± 0.03 0.83 ± 0.07 0.81 ± 0.03 0.70 ± 0.04 0.83 ± 0.05 0.81 ± 0.02Linolenic 0.15 ± 0.004 0.15 ± 0.01 0.16 ± 0.02 0.14 ± 0.01 0.15 ± 0.01 0.15 ± 0.01Total: 15.44 ± 0.09 15.23 ± 0.20 15.23 ± 0.12 15.04 ± 0.10 15.21 ± 0.15 15.33 ± 0.09Table 3 Vitamin content in reindeer meat by age and sex groupVitamin ContentCalves Youngsters Adultsmale female male female female male castratesЕ, mg/kg 5.41 ± 0.14 5.52 ± 0.09 5.62 ± 0.07 5.23 ± 0.10 5.79 ± 0.10 5.50 ± 0.06 5.55 ± 0.09В1, mg/kg 1.16 ± 0.03 1.19 ± 0.02 1.23 ± 0.01 1.18 ± 0.02 1.24 ± 0.02 1.18 ± 0.01 1.12 ± 0.03В2, mg/kg 1.67 ± 0.04 1.74 ± 0.03 1.81 ± 0.02 1.71 ± 0.03 1.91 ± 0.03 1.72 ± 0.02 1.79 ± 0.04ВЗ, mg/kg 5.04 ± 0.11 5.08 ± 0.08 5.17 ± 0.05 4.96 ± 0.08 5.30 ± 0.09 5.8 ± 0.05 5.12 ± 0.11В5, mg/kg 56.22 ± 1.27 55.02 ± 2.12 59.11 ± 0.57 55.57 ± 0.92 59.45 ± 1.10 55.57 ± 1.42 57.98 ± 1.21В6, mg/kg 2.25 ± 0.06 2.27 ± 0.04 2.45 ± 0.06 2.31 ± 0.04 2.38 ± 0.04 2.56 ± 0.03 2.32 ± 0.07В12, μg/kg 26.87 ± 0.70 27.31 ± 0.44 28.69 ± 0.20 26.64 ± 0.50 29.43 ± 0.45 28.09 ± 0.33 29.12 ± 0.32Table 4 Mineral content in reindeer meat by age and sex groupMineral ContentCalves Youngsters Adultsmale female male male female male castratesCalcium, % 0.13 ± 0.04 0.15 ± 0.02 0.15 ± 0.04 0.12 ± 0.02 0.13 ± 0.03 0.22 ± 0.08 0.17 ± 0.05Phosphorus, % 0.78 ± 0.03 0.79 ± 0.05 0.70 ± 0.11 0.77 ± 0.03 0.66 ± 0.09 0.73 ± 0.02 0.70 ± 0.12Potassium, g/kg 12.95 ± 0.62 13.12 ± 0.45 11.63 ± 0.38 13.51 ± 0.43 12.71 ± 0.42 13.92 ± 0.33 12.82 ± 0.44Sodium, g/kg 2.83 ± 0.15 2.86 ± 0.15 2.67 ± 0.15 2.75 ± 0.11 2.76 ± 0.12 2.83 ± 0.06 2.79 ± 0.11Magnesium, g/kg 1.25 ± 0.07 1.23 ± 0.11 1.18 ± 0.13 1.25 ± 0.12 1.17 ± 0.11 1.23 ± 0.06 1.19 ± 0.11Iron, mg/kg 183.25 ± 18.12 255.25 ± 46.61 161.67 ± 12.65 178.5 ± 13.8 187.92± 16.97 191.4 ± 15.8 189.21 ± 13.12Manganese, mg/kg 2.25 ± 0.36 2.39 ± 0.23 1.87 ± 0.19 2.22 ± 0.29 2.63 ± 0.42 2.37 ± 0.30 246 ± 0.17Copper, mg/kg 5.43 ± 0.87 5.36 ± 0.75 4.03 ± 0.47 4.91 ± 0.65 5.47 ± 0.50 5.16 ± 0.58 5.33 ± 0.41Zinc, mg/kg 99.59 ± 10.34 99.13 ± 11.11 86.25 ± 9.51 96.73 ± 8.21 103.50 ± 8.46 109.67 ± 8.81 106.20 ± 7.23415Shelepov V.G. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2019, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 412–418As seen from Table 6, the ratio of unsaturated tosaturated fatty acids in elk meat was 1.58:1, which isindicative of the quality of intermuscular fat. Amongunsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid was prevalent in allthe samples, accounting for 84.9% of all unsaturatedacids.The results of the vitamin content analysis revealedthat among group B vitamins, the highest concentrationswere of pantothenic acid and cyanocobalamin.The mineral composition of elk meat included avariety of minerals that are known to form chelate, ionic,and other biologically active complexes with functionalproperties. Elk meat contained 85.85% protein, 1.63%fat, and 4.84% ash elements. The calorie content in 100 gof meat was 358.07 kcal (1500 kJ).We also determined the composition of amino acids,fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals in musk-ox meat. Theresults are presented in Tables 9–12.According to the results, the content of essentialamino acids in musk-ox meat was slightly higher than thatof non-essential acids. Essential acids accounted for 54%.Glutamine, alanine, and arginine prevailed amongnon-essential amino acids.Tyrosine is a substrate for the synthesis of thyroxine,adrenaline, and noradrenalin. Methionine is a methylgroup donor for the formation of many compounds, suchas adrenaline, creatine, anserine, choline, and cysteine.In the body, cysteine turns into cysteamine, whichmitigates the damaging effects of ionising radiation.Table 5 Amino acid composition of Taimyr elk meatAmino acid Content, g/100 gNon-essential, incl.: 15.29Tryptophan 0.79Isoleucine 3.82Threonine 3.52Valine 2.26Methionine 1.43Methionine + cystine 2.67Leucine 3.47Phenylalanine 1.72Lysine 4.89Essential, incl.: 24.57Oxyproline 0.045Serine 2.02Glycine 2.22Alanine 2.70Glutamine 3.66Proline 0.98Arginine 3.66Table 6 Fatty acid composition of Taimyr elk meatAcid Content, g/kgSaturated, incl.: 32.62Lauric 1.08Myristine 0.73Palmitic 25.37Stearin 5.36Eicosanic 0.08Unsaturated, incl.: 51.39Palmitooleic 6.54Oleic 43.60Linoleic 1.09Linolenic 0.16Total: 84.1Table 7 Vitamin content in Taimyr elk meatVitamin ContentА, mg/kg –Е , mg/kg 4.53В1, mg/kg 0.91В2, mg/kg 1.36ВЗ, mg/kg 4.08В5, mg/kg 46.33В6, mg/kg 3.62В12, μg/kg 30.22Total: 60.83Table 8 Mineral content in Taimyr elk meatMineral ContentCalcium, g/kg 1.37Phosphorus, g/kg 7.47Potassium, g/kg 13.50Sodium, g/kg 1.67Magnesium, g/kg 0.96Iron, mg/kg 130.00Manganese, mg/kg 1.70Copper, mg/kg 5.40Zinc, mg/kg 125.00Table 9 Amino acid composition of musk-ox meatAmino acid Content, g/100 gNon-essential, incl.: 20.33 ± 1.69Tryptophan 0.54 ± 0.11Isoleucine 3.26 ± 0.07Threonine 2.65 ± 0.40Valine 3.28 ± 0.39Methionine + cystine 1.98 ± 0.40Methionine 1.08 ± 0.11Leucine 4.86 ± 0.63Phenylalanine 2.34 ± 0.32Lysine 3.91 ± 0.56Essential, incl.: 23.90 ± 2.11Oxyproline 0.05 ± 0.01Serine 2.59 ± 0.48Glycine 2.72 ± 0.51Alanine 3.65 ± 0.70Glutamine 6.18 ± 0.45Proline 2.33 ± 0.22Arginine 2.81 ± 0.06416Shelepov V.G. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2019, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 412–418Many enzymes owe their biological activity in the bodyto cysteine present in the molecule of sulfhydryl groups.We calculated that the ratio of unsaturated tosaturated fatty acids in musk-ox meat was about 1.66 : 1.As seen from Table 10, oleic acid was prevalent inthe meat, accounting for 85% of total unsaturated acids.Table 10 Fatty acid composition of musk-ox meatAcid Content, g/kgSaturated, incl.: 33.60 ± 0.54Myristine 1.57 ± 0.32Palmitic 18.58 ± 0.50Stearin 13.45 ± 0.79Unsaturated, incl.: 55.82 ± 0.62Palmitooleic 3.67 ± 0.27Oleic 47.58 ± 0.24Linoleic 3.83 ± 0.13Linolenic 0.73 ± 0.09Total: 89.42 ± 0.80Table 11 Vitamin content in musk-ox meatVitamin ContentD, mg/kg 1.62 ± 0.09Е, mg/kg 248.33 ± 6.12В1, mg/kg 37.38 ± 0.92В2, mg/kg 9.37 ± 0.24ВЗ, mg/kg 28.38 ± 0.69В5, mg/kg 19.35 ± 0.47В6, mg/kg 16.61 ± 0.41*В12, μg/kg 124.57 ± 3.08Table 12 Mineral content in musk-ox meatMineral ConcentrationCalcium, g/kg 0.50 ± 0.10Phosphorus, g/kg 4.40 ± 0.50Potassium, g/kg 5.40 ± 2.32Sodium, g/kg 2.78 ± 0.28Magnesium, g/kg 0.60 ± 0.05Iron, mg/kg, 96.67 ± 8.82Manganese, mg/kg 1.07 ± 0.13Copper, mg/kg 5.60 ± 1.19Zinc, mg/kg 81.23 ± 9.56Figure 1 Protein quality index of meats, g/100 g of productReindeer Reindeer Reindeer Reindeer Reindeer Elk Musk-oxMales Males Males Females FemalesYoung- Adults Castrates Young- Adultssters stersMusk-ox meat had quite a high content of fat-solublevitamins, especially vitamin E. It was richer in vitaminB12 (125 μg/kg) than venison (27–29 μg/kg) or elk meat(30 μg/kg).The analysis showed that musk-ox meat, in the sameway as reindeer meat, had a high content of mineralelements such as phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. Oftrace elements, musk-ox meat was rich in iron, which isTable 13 Formulation of dry smoked and cured venison sausagesIngredients Sausagesdry smoked dry curedSevernaya Polyarnaya Taimyrskaya TaimyrskayaUnsalted raw meat, kg per 100 kgFirst grade trimmed venisonSingle grade venisonSemi-fat trimmed porkPork breastBack fat50–2525–75–––25–75––25–75––25Spices and materials, g (per 100 kg of unsalted raw meat)Edible saltSodium nitrite (solution)Granulated sugar or glucoseGround black or white pepperGround cardamom or nutmegFresh minced garlicGround corianderMadeiraCognac30001010015025––250–300010100150–150––250300010100100–300200––300010100100–300200––Chemical compositionProtein, % (at least)Fat, %Energy value, kcal / 100g3340492303745329374492737441201612840417Shelepov V.G. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2019, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 412–418known to be part of many protein and enzyme systems,involved in immunobiological processes. In addition,musk-ox meat had a relatively high content of zinc,which stimulates the immune system and protects thebody from infections.One of the criteria for evaluating a product’snutritional value is the protein quality index (PQI) – aratio of tryptophan to oxyproline. This index determinesthe ratio of muscle and connective tissue proteins. ThePQI for ungulate meats is shown in Fig. 1.As can be seen in Fig. 1, elk meat had the highestPQI compared to the other samples. It was probably dueto nutrition patterns of this animal species.At the next stage, we used the obtained data on theindigenous meats to develop a sausage technology.Starter cultures were used in the production ofdry smoked and cured sausages. Lactic acid bacteria,which are contained in starter cultures, ferment sugarand form lactic acid. The pH of the product decreasesto the required level within 24–48 h, creating optimalconditions for sausage firming, reducing microbiologicalcontamination, and rapid uniform drying.The quality evaluation of the products includedthe following indicators: microbiological, sensory(appearance, slice colour, aroma, taste, texture, andoverall evaluation), and physicochemical (pH, moisturecontent). We found that introducing a concentrate ofstarter cultures into coarsely cut meat during saltingimproves the sensory, colour, physicochemical,structural and mechanical, microstructural, andmicrobiological parameters of the products, increasingtheir biological activity.The ripening of venison products is based on lacticacid bacteria that gradually become dominant andinhibit the development of undesirable microflora. Theintroduction of starter cultures doubled or even tripledthe level of lactic acid microflora in the minced meat. Inaddition, using starter cultures eliminates the need forcooking meat at high temperatures, thus maintaining thequality of raw meat protein.The microstructural analysis showed that startercultures intensified the process of muscle tissuefermentation and, consequently, the structuring of theproduct. Thus, bacterial preparations can accelerate andstabilise the structural changes of the minced meat.The pH value gradually decreased from 5.8 to 5.0–5.1 during the process. The moisture content decreasedfrom 59.79 to 30%. Salt increased by 2.55–2.60%,remaining within the maximum permissible value.Smoked sausages were dried to 32–39% and curedsausages to 25–37%.The decrease in moisture during the production ofdry smoked sausages was accompanied by a significantreduction of the bacterial content in minced meat (from2690 to 140–150 microbial cells in 1 g of product).Table 13 gives a few examples of venison productformulations.CONCLUSIONWe studied a number of ungulate meats, namelyreindeer, elk, and musk-ox meats. According to theresults, all the meats contained a whole complex ofbiologically active substances, including essentialunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, andminerals. In addition, the studied raw meats had abalanced combination of vital micronutrients. Therefore,we concluded that the meat of reindeer, elk, and muskoxcan be used to replenish their deficiency in the diet ofpeople living in the Extreme North.We also developed the formulation of drysmoked and cured venison sausages with desirablecharacteristics, including shelf life and sensoryattributes.