Description
The main objective of this work was to contribute to the characterization of a new product,
based on goat and sheep meat with a strategy, which gives value-added to meat from culled
goats and sheep, which have a very low commercial price. Carcasses from animals weighing
more than the body weight allowed by PDO label specifications were used to produce fresh
sausages. Sheep and goats sausages were produced in a traditional industry, in Northeast
Portugal. The following characteristics were evaluated in the final product: pH, water activity
(aw), heminic pigments, moisture, ashes, protein, total fat, hidroxiprolin, oxidation index and
fatty acids profile. The analyses were performed in the Laboratory of Technology of Carcass
and Meat Quality of Bragança Agrarian Scholl according to established protocols. Results
showed significant differences between sheep and goats sausages in moisture, ashes, total fat
content and fatty acids profile. Sheep’s sausages presented lower protein content, more ashes
and higher fat content than goats’ sausages. The major fatty acids found were oleic (C18:1),
palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0) and linoleic (C18:2), mainly affecting the different portions of
saturated fatty acids (SFA) with 3.51 and 2.52 g/100 g dry matter, monounsaturated (AGM)
with 3.89 and 6.04 g/100 g dry matter, and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with 1.37 and
2.11 g/100 dry matter, in sheep and goat sausages respectively. Goat’s sausages presented
significantly lower values for the main fatty acids than sheep’ sausages, which can be an
important information to characterize the products and distinguish them. Results suggests that
fatty acids profile can be an essential tool to detect alterations and would be useful to verify the
authenticity of these kind of meat products.