Consumer Acceptability of Dry Cured Meat from Cull Ewes Reared with Different Linseed Supplementation Levels and Feeding Durations

Dry cured meatcecina''is a traditional, although not well-known, dry product that could add value to cull ewes. Because of this, the aim of the study was to assess consumer acceptability of cecina'' from cull ewes finished with different levels of linseed (5, 10 or 15%) for different periods before slaughtering (30, 50 or 70 days). One hundred and fifty consumers evaluated colour acceptability, fatness and odour, flavour and overall acceptability of cecina'' from those 9 treatments. Additionally, habits of consumption of cured products and preferences for different species and willingness to pay for cecina'' were investigated. Linseed supplementation was identified as the most important factor for sensorial attributes (p < 0.01), with the preferred cecina'' being that with 5% and 10% supplementation. Feeding duration only modified the fatness acceptability (p < 0.01). Cecina'' from small ruminants is a product consumed occasionally by the majority of participants; however, it presented an adequate overall acceptability. Consequently, elaborating cecina'' would be a feasible strategy to improve the income of farmers