MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUR MEAT, AN ABORIGINAL FERMENTED MEAT PRODUCT

摘要

IntroductionSour meat, a fermented raw meat product, has traditionally been manufactured by the people in some aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. Most are made from pork, and a few are from pig intestine or fish. Although the history of curing this product is lost in antiquity, the main purpose was to extend the storage life. In the traditional method of its preparation, raw meat was cut into cubes, covered tightly with several layers of steamed millet, rice and wine, and fermented at room temperature for 14-20 days.To our knowledge, sour meat has not been scientifically investigated the microbiological characteristics so far. The aim of this study was to compare the differences of microbiological count and microflora of the sour meat from different regions in Taiwan.