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"Chouriço de carne" is a Portuguese ready-to-eat dry fermented sausage which relies on effective spontaneous fermentation to ensure its microbial safety and desired organoleptic properties. This study aimed to assess selected microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of artisanal chouriço produced by 14 different regional producers. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium spp., Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp., in addition to pH, water activity and moisture, were evaluated for each of 70 samples. Principal Component Analysis of all these attributes was performed to build quality maps of the analyzed lots. The results showed great variability between sausages of different producers within the same geographic region, and S. aureus, Clostridium spp., Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. were identified in sausages of several producers, highlighting the need for stricter microbiological control and standardization of production processes among artisanal producers of chouriço. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that drying is one of the oldest unit operations, and widely used in the preservation of biological products, the present study evaluated the drying kinetics of the cake obtained from linseed oil extraction. The samples were submitted to forced air circulation drying oven under temperatures of 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 ± 1 °C. Simplified mathematical models were adjusted (Verna, Page, Newton, Henderson and Pabis, Two terms and Modified Page) to describe the drying kinetics of the by-product. It was observed that the drying time was dependent on both temperature and relative humidity of the drying air. The 'Two Terms' model was the best fit to the experimental temperature data measured, with highest range of coefficient of determination (0.97-0.99) and smaller range of root-mean-square error (between 1.96x10-4 and 5.69x10-4). The standard error of prediction ranged from 1.86x10-2 to 7.94x10-2 and the average of relative standard deviation was the lowest observed (14.97). Thus, from the experimental data and adjusted parameters from the 'Two Terms' model, it is possible to predict the drying behavior in the temperature range studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]