Journal of Sensory Studies
Volume 31, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 12-21

Cross-Cultural Study of Dry-Cured Sheep Meat Acceptability by Native and Immigrant Consumers in Spain (Article)

Sañudo C.* , Gomes Monteiro A.L. , Velandia Valero M. , Fugita C.A. , Monge P. , Guerrero A. , Campo M.D.M.
  • a Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Instituto Agroalimentario (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza - CITA, C/Miguel Servet, 177, Zaragoza, 50013, Spain, Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil
  • b Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal do Paraná, C/Funcionários, 1540, Curitiba, Paraná, 80035-050, Brazil
  • c Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil
  • d Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil
  • e Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Instituto Agroalimentario (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza - CITA, C/Miguel Servet, 177, Zaragoza, 50013, Spain
  • f Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Instituto Agroalimentario (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza - CITA, C/Miguel Servet, 177, Zaragoza, 50013, Spain
  • g Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Instituto Agroalimentario (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza - CITA, C/Miguel Servet, 177, Zaragoza, 50013, Spain

Abstract

In many countries, fresh meat from cull ewes is considered to have little value. Nevertheless, other products such as dried and cured meat have high prices. Due to immigration, there is a continual shift in the population's profile, and the acceptability of local products within a specific country is not well known. For this study, 320 consumers from Europe (Spain), Asia (China), Africa (sub-Saharan Africa) and South America (Andes) evaluated the overall acceptability of dry-cured sheep meat "cecina." The legs of 24 culled ewes with three different fatness levels (FL) were used. Overall acceptability indicated that the product was well accepted, with Africans providing the highest scores (P≤0.01). Statistical differences between the three FL were found only in Spanish consumers who preferred Lean "cecina." Length of residency was a significant factor only for Andeans in which a preference was observed for those living five or more years in Spain (P=0.04). Differences depending on the frequency of lamb consumption were found in all cultural backgrounds except for Chinese consumers. Practical Applications: Cultural background was more important than fatness level (FL) in terms of overall acceptability. Therefore, the production of dry-cured meat from ewes would not require a previous fattening period to meet consumers' expectations. In this sense, only Spanish consumers found differences between FL, with the leanest meat as the most appreciated. Globally, the consumer overall acceptability score of the product was high, being Africans those with the highest scores, and showing that the possibility of producing "cecina" would favor breeders, who could profit from selling meat at a higher price. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Cross-cultural study Cured meats Statistical differences South America Overall acceptability Meats Curing High price Drying Cultural backgrounds Sub-Saharan Africa
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84958580562&doi=10.1111%2fjoss.12185&partnerID=40&md5=abc26e899081e6cd13810c859a2fb02b
DOI: 10.1111/joss.12185
ISSN: 08878250
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English