Nutritional quality of selected Croatian traditional dry-fermented sausages

Abstract

The production of dry-fermented meat products, including dry-fermented sausages, has a long tradition in Croatian households. These sausages differ greatly depending on the production region. The aim of the study was to characterize the best-known types of dry-fermented Croatian sausages from Eastern Croatia, including Kulen, Kulenova Seka and Slavonian sausage. The results uncovered significant differences (p<0.05) in chemical properties of the above sausages in terms of not only fat, water and ash, but also mineral (sodium and calcium) content. Fatty acid profiles of the sausages under study did not significantly differ, except for the share of total saturated fatty acids and stearic acid. These findings indicate that different recipes and production processes applied to these fermented pork meat sausages affect their physicochemical properties and mineral content, but not their fatty acid profile.