A Microbiological and Nutritional Evaluation of the West African Dried Meat Product, Kilishi

The quality attributes of Kilishi, a West African dried meat product were studied over an eight week storage period comparing traditional production and packaging systems with a potassium sorbate treatment system and simple modern packaging. Changes in chemical composition and microbiological counts are reported. Moisture and water activity results indicated that the experimental Kilishi was sufficiently dried to minimise microbial growth. Fat oxidation levels measured by free fatty acids (FFA) (%) on extracted fats were unacceptably high (>1.2-2.1%) and may be a reflection of the quality of the groundnut and its oil in the ingredients. Processing of beef into Kilishi appears to lead to a decrease in mineral availability. Results suggest that treatment of Kilishi with 10% (w/v) potassium sorbate confers a degree of protection of the product from mould contamination. Aflatoxin levels far exceeded all established safe limits and are thought to be due to the use of pre-contaminated groundnut, as mould growth levels in Kilishi were very low. The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 6 No.4, 2001, pp. 126-129 KEY WORDS: aflatoxins, dried meat, food preservative, kilishi, potassium sorbate.