Nutritional and Organoleptic Assessments of Sundried and Solar-Dried Kilishi.

Abstract

This study is aimed at investigating the effect of sun drying and solar drying on the nutritional and organoleptic properties of dried meat (kilishi). Nutritional content determined are moisture content, ash content, fat content, crude protein and carbohydrate content by absorption methods. Four hundred grams of meat from beef was divided into two parts (Sample A and Sample B) of two hundred grams each. Sample A was solar dried using a fabricated solar dryer while sample B was sun dried, both were dried for eight hours with respective weight loss recorded hourly. The amount of moisture on wet basis at interval of one hour for solar drying was 12.25%, 21.88%, 27.63%, 33.85%, 37.06, 40.75%, 43.55% and 48.63% , while that of direct sunlight drying had a moisture content of 12.83%, 20.77%, 26.75%, 33.58%, 35.75%, 38.97%, 40.18% and 42.65% respectively. Nutritional, Organoleptic and Microbial load count test were carried out with the following results respectively [Nutritional (M.C 9.63%, Fat 1.69%, Crude Protein 50.26%, Ash 24.09%, Carbohydrate and others 12.01%) Organoleptic (Appearance sample A 3.2 and sample B 4.0,Taste sample A 3.1 and sample B 3.2 , Aroma sample A 4.2 and sample B 4.3 ,feel sample A 3.9 and sample B 3.5 ) Microbial load count (Sample A >2.5 × 106 and Sample B >4.7 × 108)].. The results shows that kilishi is best produced using the solar drying method, as sun drying method contained large number of micro organisms which poses a threat to the health of the consumer.