Effect of organic acids on the quality of sheep "buchada": From food safety to physicochemical, nutritional, and sensorial evaluation

This work aimed to determine the effect of citric and malic acids on the food safety, nutritional and physicochemical quality of sheep buchada. For this purpose, several microbiological (thermotolerant coliforms, coagulase positive Staphylococcus, and Salmonella sp.), nutritional (lipids, proteins, ashes) physicochemical (acidity, pH, water activity, and TBARS test), and sensorial analyses (acceptance test and purchase intent) were carried out. The sheep buchada with organic acids added, as well as the control samples, did not show any microbial growth during storage. The addition of organic acids in sheep buchada resulted in the reduction of the pH and moisture as well as a significant increase in the acidity of the samples, being these changes recognized as barriers to microbial growth. The addition of citric acid resulted in lower values in the TBARS test, which could attributed to its antioxidant action. Moreover, the addition of acids did not negatively interfere with the sensory attributes. Practical applications The use of edible by-products from the slaughter of sheep in the formulation of blood sausage is viable because it uses low-cost raw materials; furthermore, the utilization of these by-products can generate income for producers, allowing them to offer a meat product of high nutritional and sensory quality.