Evaluation of deterioration pathways of an artisanal sauce for its marketing

Abstract

Introduction: There is an increasing number of consumers who appreciate the quality of a good artisan product and who, therefore, are willing to pay for it. The elaboration of artisanal products seeks to judiciously use labor to produce products with high added value such as originality and sensory qualities. The objective of this work is to evaluate the useful life and the limiting factor of deterioration in a homemade hot sauce for its potential commercialization. Methodology: Three possible pathways of deterioration were evaluated: Microbiological degradation (determined by the total count of mesophilic aerobic bacteria and total coliforms), deterioration of sensory characteristics (by sensory evaluation using a hedonic scale) and physicochemical deterioration determined by degradation of the fat after storage for 4 months at 40°C. Results: Differences were found in sensory characteristics before and after storage (all p<0.05). The growth of mesophilic aerobes and total coliform bacteria were <10 CFU/g, pH was evaluated for the risk that it could be due to the growth of C. botulinum, however, in addition to not observing the production of gas the pH was 3.6, so a potential growth of this microorganism was ruled out. Conclusions: The main path of deterioration in the sauce analyzed is the degradation of fats, reflected in the changes in the physicochemical variable's acidity, peroxide index, iodine index and saponification index. It is considered that the estimated shelf life for the sauce was 3 weeks without heat treatment at room temperature or 4 months in refrigeration, also without heat treatment. The product is well accepted sensorily, so the only limitation would be the degradation of the fat in a long storage period, or it will be stored in an inappropriate way.