Characterisation and quality assessment of ripened sausages in relation to the origin of raw material used

An experiment was performed to characterise and to assess the quality of ripened sausages produced from different raw materials. Samples were prepared using the same production technology, starting from pork shoulders from extensively versus intensively reared animals. Chemical, sensory, and microbiological analyses were performed. The results obtained showed that the sausages made from extensively reared pigs showed a significantly higher moisture content and higher scores for red intensity and global flavour. Microbiological analyses showed no significant difference between the two kinds of sausage. Contents of lactic acid bacteria and Micrococcaceae were high in both cases