Assessment of the preparation and preservation practices of kaddid, a Tunisian dried meat

The diversity of traditional food products passes down from one generation to another, and contributes to the formation of the cultural identity and gastronomic patrimony. The know-how employed and the variety of preparation techniques reflect the origins, and the references of consumers. This study aims to detail the different steps and practices used by Tunisian women during preparation of the traditional salted and dried meat product known as “kaddid”, and to study its physicochemical and microbial properties. For this purpose, 400 women were interviewed in 8 regions of Tunisia. The results of this survey described the different traditional Tunisian processes, and recipes used for the preparation of kaddid. The outcomes highlighted significant differences in the preparation of kaddid between regions. Kaddid can be made from sheep (89% of respondents), beef (22% of respondents), camel or goat (3% of respondents) and various parts may be used depending on the local food habits. 70% of the interviewed used dry salting combined with seasoning as salting mode. After sun drying, kaddid is frozen until use or traditionally preserved through post-processing steps which consist of frying then storing in sealed jars filled with olive oil (31% according to the respondents) or simply at room temperature in hermetically sealed glass jars. In order to study the physicochemical and microbial characteristics of kaddid, a sample was prepared based on the results of the survey, according to the most commonly used recipe. The pH (5.77±0.03), water activity (0.54±0.001), and moisture (23.67±0.17) values were considered suitable for the safety and stability of the product. The lipid oxidation rate of kaddid expressed in terms of TBARS (0.55±0.02 mg MDA/kg) content was much lower than the upper limit of rancidity (2mg MDA/kg). The results showed a significant effect of the kaddid processing on reducing the initial microbial load of raw meat (p<0.05). The microbiological characterization showed that molds, yeasts, and Staphylococcus presented the dominant population, while Lactic bacteria was present in low numbers in kaddid samples. Key words : Authenticity, cultural heritage, dried salted meat, ethnical foods, kaddid, survey