Characterization of unsold Lechon as raw material for retort product development

Abstract

Unsold Lechon of producers in Tacloban City reaches up to 200 kilograms, which necessitates a reworking process to prevent wastage, the additional cost of storage, and eventually profit loss. However, its characterization as a raw material needs to be conducted first to understand various properties, which would lead to the establishment of a suitable process and product formulation. The study objectives were to conduct an industry immersion and market assessment and determine the physicochemical, microbial, and organoleptic properties of unsold Lechon. The industry immersion exposed the need for improvement of food safety practices of the food handlers and revealed that the head, ham, butt, and picnic shoulder are the typically unsold parts. In terms of its physicochemical properties, the unsold Lechon is near neutral in pH and had high water activity and moisture content, which indicates susceptibility to microbial proliferation. Varying crude fat and crude protein levels specify that the meat and fat ratio should be included as variables in the product development stage. Meanwhile, the microbial analysis revealed a high microbial load with the possibility of toxin production; time series evaluation identifying sample collection to be before 4:00 pm, and freeze-thaw cycle recommending to store samples at <-18oC for not more than 48 hours. Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA®) showed that pre-treatment of raw materials is not necessary with the identified important sensory descriptors through factor and principal component analysis. Lastly, the market assessment showed that Lechon paksiw is the preferred product to be developed with a market potential of 6.01kgs/household per annum.

Keywords

• characterization
• industry immersion
• lechon
• microbiological
• market assessment