READY TO USE JERKED BEEF: WHICH IS THE BEST DESALTING METHOD BASED ON THE MICROBIOLOGICAL AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY APPROACH?

Salted meat products are highly appreciated by consumers and have cultural appeal in many regions, such as jerked beef in Brazil. However, its use and consumption require desalting and cooking operations. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different desalting methods on the microbiological, physical and chemical quality of vacuum-packed jerked beef during cold storage. Five desalting procedures were applied: in water at room temperature (AT12), in water at room temperature followed by boiling for 30 minutes with water exchange between the two processes (AT12+C30), under boiling at 10, 20, and 30 minutes (C10, C20, and C30, respectively). Samples were analyzed at 15-day intervals, from 0 to 60 days. All samples met the microbiological standards in different periods analyzed. A reduction in NaCl, nitrate, nitrite, and ash content, as well as an increase in water activity and protein content, was observed in all desalted meats compared to control jerked beef (without desalting). The samples desalted by cooking only showed higher hardness and bite strength compared to the other treatments. The samples from the AT12 and AT12+C30 treatments showed an increase in moisture content. From the results of residual sodium content, it was concluded that samples C30 and AT12+C30 gave the best results, considering they had 4,74 and 2,71 g/100g of residual NaCl, respctively. The point of view of physical-chemical stability and nutritional quality, desalting with treatments AT12+C30 and C30 for jerked beef were more viable and indicated. However, the AT12+C30 treatment is a longer desalting technique and is disadvantageous from a microbiological point of view due to the higher water activity value. Although the barriers were removed in the desalting process, keeping the meat vacuum-packed and refrigerated was sufficient to maintain the quality and food safety of the desalted jerked beef during the 60-day storage period.