Achaglinkame Matthew A, Owusu-Mensah Eric, Boakye Abena A, Oduro Ibok
Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Quama Food Pro. Co. Ltd., Kumasi, Ghana.
Int J Food Sci. 2020 Feb 11;2020:5714140. doi: 10.1155/2020/5714140. eCollection 2020.
Snails, a delicacy in most tropical communities, are highly perishable and seasonal. Employed preservative methods are highly temperature dependent, adversely affecting their nutritional value and sensory properties. This study was aimed at determining the effect of size and drying time on the rehydration and sensory properties of freeze-dried snails. Snails were sized into three categories with average weights: 7.59 g (quarter-sized), 14.41 g (half-sized), and 30.71 g (whole), and freeze-dried for 15, 20, and 25 h. The moisture content and percent rehydration of the dried samples were determined by standard methods and sensory properties assessed by an in-house panel of 30 using a 5-point hedonic scale. The moisture content of the fresh and freeze-dried samples ranged from 65.80 to 75.20% and 3.25 to 10.24%, respectively. Freeze-dried samples had higher percent rehydration (27 to 102%) than the control; smoked snails (21 to 32%). Size had a significant ( < 0.05) effect on the rehydration ability of the samples with the half-sized and freeze-dried for 15 h samples having the highest. The freeze-dried samples generally had higher consumer preference than the control in all attributes assessed. The findings show that freeze-drying snails (approximate weight of 14.4 g) for 15 h could be a consumer-preferred alternative preservative method for extending the shelf life of snails.
蜗牛在大多数热带地区都是一种美味佳肴，但极易腐坏且具有季节性。现有的保存方法对温度高度依赖，会对其营养价值和感官特性产生不利影响。本研究旨在确定大小和干燥时间对冻干蜗牛复水性和感官特性的影响。将蜗牛分为三类，平均重量分别为：7.59克（四分之一大小）、14.41克（二分之一大小）和30.71克（完整大小），并分别冻干15、20和25小时。通过标准方法测定干燥样品的水分含量和复水率，由一个由30人组成的内部小组使用5分制享乐量表评估感官特性。新鲜和冻干样品的水分含量分别为65.80%至75.20%和3.25%至10.24%。冻干样品的复水率（27%至102%）高于对照；烟熏蜗牛（21%至32%）。大小对样品复水能力有显著影响（<0.05），二分之一大小且冻干15小时的样品复水能力最高。在所有评估的属性中，冻干样品总体上比对照更受消费者喜爱。研究结果表明，将蜗牛（约14.4克）冻干15小时可能是一种受消费者青睐的替代保存方法，可延长蜗牛的保质期。
