Multidimensional analysis of the quality of Cabo Verde sausage: nutrients, safety, and organoleptic properties

Abstract The traditional Cape Verdean sausage is a smoked and not ready-to-eat type of sausage produced in a traditional way, mainly on Santiago Island. Traditional Cape Verdean food products such as sausage ( linguiça ), butter, “ manecon ” and “ grogue ” are important parts of the country’s culture, identity, and heritage. Improving its acceptability and expanding its market is essential to further improve its safety and quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical, sensory and microbiological characteristics of traditional sausages produced by different local producers of Santiago Island. The physicochemical characteristics widely varied in terms of moisture (39.5–66.6%), fat (5.00–31.7%), protein (21.8–35.1%), NaCl (1.34–4.19%), and nitrite (0.52–2.93 mg/kg) contents, thus demonstrating the importance of standardizing the production process. In terms of microbiological quality, the percentages of samples that exceeded the maximum established by Normative Instruction No. 60/2019 were 66.7% for moulds and yeasts, 57.1% for E. coli , 47.6% for C. perfringens , 14.3% for coagulase-positive staphylococci, and 14.3% for Listeria spp. However, Salmonella was not detected in any of the samples. In the sensory analysis, most of the sausages presented an acceptance of more than 70%, and the attributes with the highest average acceptance were color and aroma. Overall, the findings from this study may help to better control the production process of traditional sausages, provide a safer and better-quality product and be used by authorities to develop and implement regulations in the sector. Highlights The physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory profiles of the sausages were analysed. The proximate composition, salt, nitrite, and color (L, a, b*) varied significantly. E. coli , C. perfringens , yeasts and molds were detected in all the samples. The correlations revealed strong sensory links, and moisture was correlated with fat and ash.