European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

NUTRITIONAL AND MICROBIAL QUALITY OF SHADE-DRIED MEAT SUMUNGAYA

Nagwa B. Elhag*, Hamid A. Dirar and El Rakha B. Babiker

ABSTRACT

Shade dried meat bearing fat (Summungaya) is a popular food product in the western State of Sudan (Darfur). Meat bearing fat was cut into slices and it was hung on a rope inside a storeroom. Meat slices were left for 9 days to undergo fermentation and drying. At the end of the drying process some of the dried strips were stored hung on the rope and the others were ground, kept in sterilized glass and metal container and stored at room and refrigerator temperature. Samples were subjected to microbiological analysis, which were carried at 3 days intervals for 9 days and monthly for three months. The chemical evaluation was determined after a month and 3 months. Drying of the fresh slices revealed a drastic drop in total viable bacterial count (TVBC), coliform, E. coli, and moisture content, while Staphylococci sp. and Salmonella were not detected. After 3 months drying, the TVBC of the hung strips increased from 5.75x104 to 4.25x105cfu/g and moulds from 1.53x103 to 7.20x104cfu/g as moisture decreased from 8.7% to 4%, however yeasts almost remained constant. The TVBC (5.75x104cfu/g), yeasts (2.00x103cfu/g) and moulds (1.53x103cfu/g) for glass container samples remained constant at both storage temperatures. With respect to metal container samples the TVBC increased from 5.75x104cfu/g to 6.20x105cfu/g, yeasts and moulds remained constant at level of 2.50x103 and 2.20x103cfu/g respectively. After one month drying protein, ash and fat content increased. After 3 months drying the product showed slight changes in protein, fat and ash content. The dominant bacteria were identified as Bacillus sp., yeasts as Candida edax and Candida graminis and moulds as Rhizopus nigricans and Apergillus niger. Mycotoxin B2 content (5.8ppb) found in hung strips was less than the permissible level of SSMO. This findings revealed that the production of Sumungaya should be under more hygienic condition. The presence of metabolic compounds from these moulds and their interaction with pathogenic bacteria may lead to the outbreak of food-borne illness.

Keywords: Shade-dried meat, Sumungaya, Sermoud, Storage stability, Nutritional value.