IMPROVING THE SALTING TECHNOLOGY FOR FERMENTED MARAL MEAT PRODUCTS

The research features the effect of salting methods on the physical, chemical, and biochemical properties of maral (Siberian red deer) meat in the manufacture of fermented products. Meat salting is considered to be the most significant process in the formation of organoleptic and qualitative properties of whole muscle meat products. The authors measured the changes in the mass fraction of moisture in the products. After that they studied the effect of dry, wet, and mixed salting on mass transfer processes in the maral meat according to the fermentation period. The study revealed the dynamic pattern in pH and water-binding capacity of meat during salting, as well as the differences in the colloidal-chemical state of protein substances. The best results were achieved in mixed salting samples after short-term massaging. This method changed the degree of hydration and the solubility of proteins, which improved the structural and mechanical properties. The experiment showed that fermented products require preliminary mechanical processing of meat in massagers, which makes it possible to soften raw materials, accelerate the redistribution of saline substances in meat, and intensify biochemical processes. According to the present research, the best results were achieved by mixed salting when the salting mixture was applied to the meat surface. The mixture contained the starting cultures of microorganisms «Bitec LC-30». The meat was aged under dry salting at 0–4 °C for 24 hours and then in the pickle. This changed the rheological properties of the meat and resulted in a gentler consistency of the fermented products. The proposed technology of maral meat salting increases the efficiency of meat fermentation processes while improving the quality of manufactured products and their organoleptic properties.