title: Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of biltong, a traditional salted dried meat of South Africa.
abstract: The microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of several commercial beef, kudu and springbok biltong samples from South Africa were assessed in this study. Analysis of samples allowed their differentiation into 'dry' and 'moist' samples. Dry biltong showed low moisture content (21.5-25.3 g/100 g), a low water activity (0.65-0.68) and a high salt content (5.5-7.9 g/100 g), while moist biltong showed a higher moisture content (35.1-42.8 g/100 g), a higher water activity (0.85 to 0.89) and a lower salt content (3.8-5.6 g/100 g). The pH value did not vary significantly between both groups (5.00-6.26). The results showed that dry biltong presented a low total plate count (TPC) content, a high level of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and a high level of D-lactic acid as compared to moist biltong. These results suggest that dry biltong complies with the standard hygienic quality (TPC<7 log cfu/g in agreement with the Food Standards Agency), while moist biltong samples generally showed a low content of D-lactic acid and a low ratio LAB/TPC.
authors: Université de La Réunion, Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et des Sciences des Aliments, LCSNSA, EA 2212, 15 Avenue René Cassin, 97490 Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France; Département Génie Biologique, IUT, Université de La Réunion, Saint-Pierre, Ile de la Réunion, France. Electronic address: thomas.petit@univ-reunion.fr.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Petit
authors: Université de La Réunion, Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et des Sciences des Aliments, LCSNSA, EA 2212, 15 Avenue René Cassin, 97490 Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France; Département Agroalimentaire, ESIROI, Université de La Réunion, Sainte-Clotilde, Ile de la Réunion, France.
authors: Yanis
authors: Y
authors: Caro
authors: CRITT Réunion, CCIR, 3 Rue Serge Ycard, 97490 Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France.
authors: Anne-Sophie
authors: AS
authors: Petit
authors: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius.
authors: Sunita J
authors: SJ
authors: Santchurn
authors: Montpellier SupAgro, Unité Mixte de Recherche QualiSud, 1101, avenue Agropolis, BP 5098, 34093 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
authors: Antoine
authors: A
authors: Collignan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012492:Salts / Q000032:analysis; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D012492:Salts; D019344:Lactic Acid
keywords: Biltong; Dried meat; Fermented food; Food preservation; Microbiological characteristics; Physicochemical properties South Africa