Even though sheep and goat processed meat products are not as popular as pork, beef or poultry and are generally considered not as important, they have a very important role in meat consumption around the world. A concise review of the origin and type of the most important sheep and goat processed meat products produced in different countries and world regions is made. The manuscript also summarizes the most recent studies on sheep and goat processed meats on the physicochemical characterizations, sensory quality, microbiological quality and safety. Some conclusions and future trends in production, processing and commercial potentiality for sheep and goat processed meat products are discussed. Several possibilities exist to make them more diversified and appealing to the market. Processing meat from culled animals is an interesting way to value animals with low market acceptability. Some as fermented sausages, cured legs and pâtés have great commercial potential as highly acceptable consumer commodities. An interesting field of food research is the rediscovery of a new generation of goat and sheep meat products as functional foods that will respond to the constant innovation required by the meat industry. Everything related to food safety must be considered in the future.
29 January 2024 in Current Food Science and Technology Reports
Purpose of Review: Sensory evaluation holds vital significance in the food sector. Typically, humans conduct sensory analysis. Humans, being the ultimate consumers, assess food traits effectively. However, human judgment is influenced by various factors. Hence, countering subjectivity is crucial for objective evaluation while retaining hedonic insights. Recent Findings: Food’s sensory assessment primarily employs humans. Various techniques differentiate, depict, or rank food. Modern sensory tools, aiming to enhance objectivity and reliability, are emerging to supplement or supplant human assessment. This advance can bolster quality, consistency, and safety by mimicking human senses such as smell, taste, and vision, mitigating risks tied to human assessors. Summary: This paper provides a review about sensory analysis of food using technological methodologies. A review of different technological tools to analyze sensory characteristics of food, as well as a discussion of how those technological tools can relate to humans’ perception of food is presented.