The quality of beef in the conditions of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site

Abstract

The territory of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site represents vast areas of grassy steppes, their use as pastures seems promising. The purpose of work was to compare beef samples obtained from settlements belonging to different categories of radiation risk: Kokpekty village, Chagan urban‐type settlement, Krivinka village, Sarzhal village, three samples were examined from each settlement. Organoleptic analysis, radiometric determination of 137Cs, was used as criteria. Also, an analysis of the amino acid composition by the high‐performance liquid chromatograph method was carried out and a calculation of protein indicators was made: meat tenderness, amino acid usefulness, nutrition value. The organoleptic examination showed the compliance of all samples with the standards, with the exception of one sample from the Sarzhal village. The study of the specific activity of 137Cs showed a direct correlation between the category of radiation risk and the content of this radioisotope in meat from different zones. The availability of some deviations in the samples indicators obtained from the Sarzhal village indicates the need to approach the products control from this zone more carefully, and radioisotope analysis should become a decisive criterion in determining the safety profile of the product.