Quality and Safety Assessment of Meat Products Obtained by Traditional Romanian Recipes

Meat products obtained following traditional recipes are considered healthy foods, with superior sensory characteristics, being highly appreciated by consumers. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and safety of 18 meat products obtained by traditional receipts, including raw/smoked pork sausages (n=3), loin (n=1), bacon (n=2), kaizer (n=1), ham (n=1), spareribs (n=1), pork pastrami (n=1), and sausages prepared from edible meat offal of pork (n=8). All samples were bacteriologically examined (Salmonella, L. monocytogenes and E. coli). Also, moisture, fat, total protein, salt and nitrite contents were quantified. All products were Salmonella and L. monocytogenes free. E. coli was recovered in two samples (11.1%), a smoked pork sausage and a sausage prepared from edible meat offal of pork, at levels between 1.5 log and 3.25 log cfu/g. Moisture ranged from 17.21 to 67.46%, fat 17.37–62.18%, protein 8.13–23.18%, sodium chloride 1.50–6.39%, and nitrites <10–35 ppm, respectively. In two samples (11.1%) of smoked meat products the salt content exceeded the maximum limits allowed by law. These results have shown that meat products obtained by traditional recipes are nutritive and safety. However, some varieties of meat products with high salt concentrations should be avoided by persons with dietary salt restriction.