El-Guedid is an Algerian traditional meat-based product that is prepared from red meats. It belongs to the wide diversity of salted/dried meat products. This study described the physicochemical and microbiological properties of different products from four animal origins and during all the conservation. Results indicated that these products were mainly characterized by a low moisture with an average decrease of water content between 15.6% and 16.3% for all the samples, and a decrease in water activity ranging from 0.66 to 0.68, while the salt content ranged from 8.8 to 19.3%. A decrease in pH values oscillated from (6.3-6.4) to reach (5.2-5.5) at T0 and T365 consecutively, in all the samples. Microbial analyses revealed the absence of pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria and Salmonella but the sporadic contamination by Staphylococcus aureus up to one month of ripening. Lactic acid bacteria and coagulase negative staphylococci were the dominant populations in El-Guedid with Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus sakei, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus as the main species identified. All these populations decreased along the process and reached low levels (2 log CFU/g) at the end of storage (365 days). The drastic drying of El-Guedid led to safe traditional meat product that could promote its production.

<p>In Algeria, rabbit meat consumption is insufficiently anchored in culinary traditions compared to other types of meat that are widely consumed, namely sheep and chicken. The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of sociogeographic variables, both intrinsic and extrinsic quality cues, on consumption frequency, purchasing decision, motivations and the main deterrents to rabbit meat consumption. A survey is conducted with 360 consumers across 15 <em>wilayas</em> (districts) in Eastern Algeria. The results help us draw a conclusion that rabbit meat is consumed in all surveyed <em>wilayas</em> with a low frequency of consumption for the majority of respondents (79%). On the one hand, the causes of consumption are mainly: good taste (59%) and nutritional value (27%). On the other hand, the limiting factors are different: scarcity of rabbit meat on the market (42%), price (22%), eating habits (17%), lack of information on nutritional value (13%), bad taste (3%) and its resemblance to cat meat (3%). Regarding purchasing criteria, tenderness (58%) and freshness (14%) were chosen by most consumers. Although most consumers recognise the nutritional benefits of rabbit meat, it is poorly ranked in the choice of its consumers, placing it fourth after sheep, beef and poultry. Cross tabulation results show that gender, employment status and geographical areas are three variables that significantly affect the consumer’s perception and behaviour towards rabbit meat. This study is the first to analyse the Algerian consumer profile and sheds light on factors encouraging and hindering rabbit meat consumption.</p>

As in many African countries, the rabbit meat sector in Algeria lacks a structured market system. Very few studies have approached this issue. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the main parameters of rabbit meat marketing. To meet this objective, a descriptive survey method was provided, using a structured questionnaire, literature review and direct observation. Our study has covered the key areas of rabbit production including ten wilayas (i.e. geopolitical districts, regions, provinces, areas) situated in the northeastern part of Algeria. A survey was carried out among 32 butchers. Data were obtained through a field survey using face-to-face interviews. The result shows that the butchers are mostly men, belonging to six main wilayas; the majority of them are married, with an average age of 45 yr, and most have secondary school level or baccalaureate educational qualifications. Cross tabulations have shown a significant coefficient between location of butchers and four marketing factors i.e. rabbit selling criteria, sales volume per week, type of meat sold, and type of clientele. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) allow us to classify and to show the correlation between the different wilayas and the influential marketing factors. Rabbit meat market seems to be modest, fragmented and not organised, due to many obstacles, mainly lack of knowledge and awareness of rabbit meat, high cost production, high selling price and unavailability. Despite these setbacks, there is an opportunity to enhance rabbit marketing by increasing production, supporting breeders, reducing the selling price of rabbit and educating people about the nutritional quality of this kind of meat. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first to create the sociogeographic profile of rabbit butchers and investigate the association between the different aspects and factors linked to rabbit meat marketing.