Quality characterization of kitoza, a Malagasy meat product

Kitoza is a traditional product of Madagascar which was previously prepared for kings and nobles. It is made from beef or pork strips, 20 to 50 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide, salted and then dried and/or smoked. Kitoza consumption has currently increased because of its ready availability on local market. Within the framework of AFTER (African Food Tradition Revisited by Research), a project which aims in improving the quality and safety of African traditional food, quality of kitoza made from beef and pork was analyzed. Kitoza samples were collected in Antananarivo.Physico chemical and microbiological quality was measured on 60 samples, including 15 salted/smoked kitoza and 15 salted/dried kitoza for each type of meat. Their moisture, lipid, protein and salt contents, water activity, pH and the phenol content for smoked products were measured. According to microbiological analyses, there was no Salmonella in all types of kitoza. However, pork kitoza and dried beef kitoza presented high total microbial counts. The level of Escherichia coli was high in pork kitoza while it was satisfactory in beef. A sensory profile study was undertaken on 8 beef and pork smoked kitoza. Sensory data were analyzed using Principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis. PCA representation showed that there was a clear difference between pork and beef samples. Pork samples were more associated to fatty and salty attributes. Four samples into 4 clusters were selected for a consumer study with about 200 Malagasy and European consumers. (Résumé d'auteur