Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Lipid Oxidative Stability of Zebra (Equus Burchelli) Droëwors Made Using Different Levels of Sheep Fat

Abstract

The physico-chemical properties (proximate, salt content, water activity (aw), pH) and lipid oxidation of droëwors (dried salted/spiced meat sausages) produced with zebra meat and different sheep fat levels (10, 15, and 20% by weight) measured at day 0 (before drying), day 2 (after drying at 30 °C and 40% relative humidity), and over a 90 day storage (day 17, 32, 47, 62, 77, and 92) under vacuum at 25 °C were investigated. The use of lower fat levels (10 and 15%) in the formulation resulted in higher weight loss during drying and droëwors with higher protein, ash, and salt content and lower aw and pH compared to the droëwors made with 20% fat. The pH increased (p < 0.001) during storage for all the fat levels, while the moisture content and the aw were stable as expected. TBARS values were the highest in droëwors made with 20% of fat after drying (day 2), but droëwors made with 10% of fat reached similar maximal values on day 17. Formulations containing 15% sheep fat displayed the lowest TBARS values after drying and along storage, and thus had the best characteristics in relation to oxidative stability.

Effect of Different Fat and Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal (MOLM) Inclusion Levels on Proximate Composition, Fatty Acid Profile, and Lipid Oxidation of Chicken Droëwors

“…Other similar studies have reported that droëwors made with lower fat inclusion levels resulted in lower moisture content after drying and higher protein and ash content [ 21 ]. Droëwors with higher fat inclusion levels have a higher moisture content because fat has a barrier effect on moisture transfer during drying [ 22 ]. The range of fat in chicken droëwors in this study (14.37-26.13%) was lower than the fat content of common droëwors made from beef (25.0-40.3 g/100 g), game meat (16.8-47.0 g/100 g), and ostrich (23.5-28.8 g/100 g).…”

Editorial for the Special Issue: Game Meat and Game Meat Products: Safety, Quality and Consumer Perception

“…Game meat could also be considered for meat preparation and products, in which the peculiar quality traits of the meat could be preserved [ 10 ] or even enhanced with a specific ingredient. Taking into consideration that the higher amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid in this meat could negatively affect the oxidative stability of the products, the addition of other fat sources, such as sheep fat in Zebra ( Equus burchelli ) Droëwors [ 11 ] or vegetable oils in deer burger [ 12 ], should be considered.…”