Chemical, sensory and microbiological characteristics of Sremska sausage (traditional dry-fermented Serbian sausage) as affected by pig breed

Abstract

Sremska sausage is a traditional dry-fermented sausage from Serbia made from the meat of local, late maturing pigs of the Mangalica breed, which had almost disappeared. Sremska sausage is today produced from the meat of modern pig breeds. Three variants were made from the meat and fatty tissue of 12-month-old white pigs (Swedish Landrace), Moravka pigs and Mangalica pigs. At the end of the production process, all sausages were characterized by a high level of fat and a low level of moisture. The content of non-protein nitrogen was higher in sausages made from the meat of Landrace pigs, and so was its total increase during ripening and storage. The dynamics of total plate counts, lactic acid bacteria, Gram positive, catalase positive cocci counts and electrophoretic profiles of proteins were very alike. At the end of ripening, most sensory parameters differed between breeds, however, sausages made from the meat of Mangalica had a significantly (P <0.05) better odour and poorer cross-section appearance. The quality of sausages from the meat of Mangalica was most consistent during storage, whereas in the Sremska sausage made from the meat of Moravka breed the majority of characteristics were significantly poorer.

Key words: Sremska sausage, pig breed, biochemical parameters, sensory quality.