/ 10 August 2016

​South Africa’s traditional southappie subjected to high-tech scrutiny to improve

​south Africa's Traditional Southappie Subjected To High Tech Scrutiny To Improve

South Africa’s most popular snack has been subjected to rigorous laboratory tests on Réunion Island to see whether ultrasound can reduce the drying time.

Stellenbosch University food scientist Maxine Jones conducted research on the tropical island for her doctoral thesis titled Profiling Traditional South African Biltong for Shelf-life Determination.

Jones says the traditional drying process can take up to four days for the meat to lose half of its moisture.

“We are investigating the use of a pre-treatment such as ultrasound that helps reduce the drying time without influencing the quality of the end product.” She said the results confirmed that the ultrasound process had no effect on the brining process, which involves the meat being soaked in salt water.

“It was also concluded that the brining process of the meat before drying does not influence the moisture content consistency – the moisture content decreased at the same rate for both [traditional and ultrasonic] treatments.”

Her study was conducted in collaboration with Jean-Christophe Meile and Fabienne Remize Barnavon from Cirad, a French research centre working in the tropical and Mediterranean regions to tackle agricultural and development issues.

It forms part of a bigger project to identify and describe the specific properties of biltong and to identify and assess the growth of moulds commonly found in commercial biltong.

Louw Hoffman, Stellenbosch University’s specialist in meat science, said: “This research is part of a larger study in which other students are looking at the dynamics of salt absorption as well as the development of rancidity during the drying process.”

Jones says mould was the most common problem for biltong producers as it affected sales. “Consumers do not accept moulds on the product even if the mould is considered safe,” she said.

Jones warned that, even though many people believe that biltong can last much longer if packaging is unopened, “this is not always the case in terms of microbial stability and consumers should be wary of this”.

The debate among biltong enthusiasts about whether or not a moist biltong is better than a dry biltong can be pinned down to personal preference.

“Preliminary results indicate that the physiochemical properties (such as salt content and pH) and microbial profile are more dependent on the spices and condiments, particularly vinegar, used than the final moisture content.

“Mould, being the most common concern of the industry, is mainly due to the production process, particularly the drying process and the packaging thereafter.”

It was found that the packaging system did not have an effect on biltong properties, as had been suggested. The study’s “results will allow for better understanding of the drying of biltong and the different processes usually used”, Jones said.

Recommendations for legislation and export regulations will also be made. Her research showed there was no legal definition for biltong and no guidance for manufacturing biltong, including specific properties such as drying conditions, final pH, salt content and moisture content.

The biltong industry is an economically important sector and its popularity over the past few decades has increased both locally and internationally. Yet “biltong still needs to be registered in South Africa as the traditional commodity it is known to be”.