STABILITY OF CRUSHED UNOSSIFIED ANTLERS OF MARAL (CERVUS ELAPHUS) DURING STRESS TESTS

Introduction. It is very difficult to determine the stability of reindeer breeding preparations made from crushed unossified antlers of maral (Cervus elaphus). These preparations have a complex chemical composition, which, along with other biologically active substances, include proteins, hormones and enzymes, which can decompose active substances, making it difficult to determine their stability. Objective: to investigate the influence of environmental factors on the stability of physicochemical parameters of crushed unossified maral antlers under stress conditions. Material and methods. Crushed unossified antlers stored during the planned cutting of unossified stag antlers in May–June 2015 were the subject of the investigation. Their stability was assessed relying on the presence and absence of changes in the main indicators of the quality of crushed maral antlers exposed to the following factors: natural sunlight, artificial light, UV radiation, and higher humidity and temperature. Results. It is shown that the investigated physical factors do not influence the qualitative amino acid composition in the crushed maral antlers. UV radiation does not affect the quantitative content of amino acids. UV radiation has no impact in the levels of amino acids. Higher air humidity leads to a decrease in the content of all the test amino acids; the level of alanine is maximally decreased. Elevated temperature (70°C) results in the lower levels of all amino acids in raw materials. Conclusion. Exposure to natural daylight and artificial light and higher air humidity and temperature leads to the decreased levels of amino acids, by preserving their qualitative composition. The findings should be taken into account when organizing a technological process to prepare and store crushed unossified maral antlers.