PubMed1978
Native food samples of caribou, seal, and arctic char were collected from resident Eskimos in Arctic Bay, N.W. T., and analyzed for nutrients. Caribou and seal meats were similar in protein and fat content in comparison with beef. Arctic char was above the average in protein and fat content for fish. Ascorbic acid was present in significant amounts only in baby seal liver. Thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, folacin, and pantothenic acid content ranged from average to high for seal and carbiou meat, respectively, in comparison to published values for pork and beef. The vitamin B6 content of caribou meat was comparable to average values reported for pork and beef but was lower in seal meat. Baby seal liver contained similar levels of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, folacin, and pantothenic acid and less vitamin B6 than those reported for pork, beef, calf, and lamb liver. Arctic char was not appreciably different in these vitamins from other fish. The iron content of the Eskimo foods was higher than the meat group of the mixed Canadian diet. The macro mineral nutrients in these foods were comparable to those in beef and fish. The amino acid composition of caribou and seal meat was similar to beef, except that seal meat had a lower content of sulfur-containing amino acids and a much higher content of histidine. The sample of seal and arctic char were relatively high in concentrations of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids.