Evaluation of Sensory and Chemical Parameters of Fermented Sausages

Meat preservation became essential for transportation of meat for long distances without spoilage of texture, colour and nutritional value after the development and rapid growth of supermarkets. The most ancient methods of preserving meat are drying and fermentation of meat products. Fermented sausage is mostly industrially produced, although not standardized, but it is acceptable to the majority of the population. In this study, the sensory proprieties and chemical characteristics of kulen, a type of dry fermented sausage, were examined. Two groups of kulen sausages had differing percentages of pork meat and sweet and cayenne pepper, while the amount of solid fat tissue and other ingredients added at manufacturing were the same. The results obtained show the ingredients used might have an influence on kulen’s sensory properties, in this case especially on odour, taste, cross-section colour and overall acceptability average scores. Chemical analyses showed that kulen group 1 had a higher protein content (24.52%) than kulen group 2, which contained 23.00% meat protein, while the content of collagen in the meat protein was 7.02% (group 1) and 9.16% (group 2). Moisture in all these kulen sausages was less than 35%, while the values of other parameters were similar between the two kulen groups. Therefore, the raw materials and the other ingredients used in the technological production of kulen fermented sausage can influence the final product quality.