CSIRO PUBLISHING-Animal Production Science

The present work aims to study the effect of species and seasoning time on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of cured legs of sheep and goats. Three cure periods were used: two for sheep and one for goat legs. Legs of lamb were cured for 7 and 8 months whereas legs of goat were cured for 8 months only. Samples were evaluated regarding pH, water activity and indicators of food microbial quality and safety. A trained panel carried out the sensory analysis, with aroma, texture, appearance and taste being the evaluated parameters. Significant differences were detected between the amount of aerobic mesophiles of the products cured during 7 months and the sheep legs cured during 8 months. Moulds and yeasts were between 1.81 × 10 ± 1.73 × 10 and 3.97 × 10 ± 5.45 × 10 colony-forming units/g, whereas total coliforms varied from 2.80 × 10 ± 4.13 × 10 to 1.31 × 10 ± 2.39 × 10 . All samples were negative for toxigenic species. Concerning sensory analysis, hardness and taste persistence were the attributes that presented the highest and the lowest discriminative power, respectively. In general, the panel was able to characterise and distinguish the samples. The cured legs of goats were characterised as harder and as less succulent than those obtained from sheep. Sheep meat with larger time of cure was the brightest, whereas the one with a smaller time of cure was the most succulent. However, goat meat presented higher values of rancid and acid flavour. Sheep meat submitted to longer processing presented the most intense flavour and sheep meat with an inferior cure period presented the lowest intensity in all flavour attributes. This paper describes, for the first time in Portugal, the production and characterisation of cured legs of sheep and goats as a strategy to enhance economic value to good quality products obtained from animals of second category. Additional keywords: cured legs, microbiological analysis, sensory analysis. Introduction Go To >> Meat is a source of a high variety of nutrients as proteins, group B vitamin and minerals. It is easily digested and necessary for essential physiologic functions, meaning its consumption is considered essential for a healthy life (Schnettler et al. 2009). The consumption of goat and sheep meat has been increasing during the past 20 years, due to its nutritional and sensory features (Karami et al. 2011). However, despite this increasing popularity, its production is currently facing a difficult period, mainly due to the rural depopulation and more demanding agricultural politics (Stanisz et al. 2009). In this context, one of the pathways that the producers can follow in order to overcome the current situation and to achieve a competitive advantage, is to find innovative products (Grunert et al. 2004). Examples of this innovation include the development of salted, smoked or air-dried products from meat of older and culled animals (Molinero et al. 2008). These dry-cured products, obtained from beef (Molinero et al. 2008), bresaola (Paleari et al. 2008) or pastirma (Kaban 2009), are in high demand. Moreover, although less frequently, these can be obtained from small ruminant meat (Teixeira et al. 2011). Besides preferring diverse and convenient food, consumers also require products that are safe and of consistent quality (Scollan et al. 2006). Particular emphasis must be given to microbial spoilage that causes foods to be undesirable or unacceptable for human consumption. Several studies have considered the Enterobacteriaceae to be the most important bacteria in the spoilage of different kinds of dry-cured hams (García et al. 2000). In addition, species of the genera Serratia, Salmonella, Escherichia, Hafnia and lactic bacteria have also been lauded as playing an important role (Martín et A B A B D A B A B A C