Rista is an emulsion based Kashmiri meat product and commercially available in Srinagar city. The physico-chemical (pH, moisture, crude protein, ether extract and ash), microbiological (total viable count, coliform count and E. coli presence) and sensory (appearance, flavour, texture, juiciness, mouth coating, saltiness and overall acceptability) qualities were evaluated. Outlets in Srinagar city were divided into High standard (HS), Medium standard (MS) and Low standard (LS) on the basis of their infrastructure and services provided by them. Among the physico-chemical parameters, pH and ash (%) showed non-significant differences whereas percent moisture, crude protein and ether extract showed significant differences between HS, MS and LS type outlets. The total viable count and coliform count showed increasing trend from HS to LS whereas E. coli were found in 16.6% samples, each from HS and LS. The overall acceptability score for the samples from HS, MS and LS type outlets was found to be 6.57±0.12, 6.22±0.12 and 5.81±0.15, respectively on 8-point descriptive scale.
Meat product, Quality evaluation, Rista, Srinagar
