Stellenbosch University student first to get a doctorate in biltong making

According to Business Tech, her industry-based PhD research project - supervised by Prof Louw Hoffman‚ the South African Research Chair in Meat Science: Genomics to Nutriomics in the university’s department of animal science - focused on different aspects of biltong processing‚ including the use of standardised drying procedures to dry meat. This has earned her a doctorate in Food Science from the university. 

“Quality and consistency is important to both the consumer and the biltong industry,” said Maxine, who believes the local industry needs to standardise drying guidelines to ensure more consistent quality and to sidestep food safety issues.

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“The biltong industry has become an economically important sector in the South African meat industry and has the potential for further growth, both nationally and internationally,” she said.

Maxine also investigated export opportunities that are available to South African producers, and the certification processes and laboratory guidelines that they need to consider.

“Biltong isn’t such a simple matter as we may think; there’s a science behind it,” she said. “With the increased popularity of biltong the research opportunities are vast, and this research is just the beginning of things to come.”

For all avid biltong makers out there, here are some of the Dr's key findings.

If you're drying your biltong at a temperature of around 25C‚ at a relatively low humidity of 30%‚ and an air speed of 0.2 metres per second; here are some noteworthy tips.

• Adding vinegar does not make meat dry faster‚ but it does extend its shelf life‚ helping to control the levels of microbes on biltong for at least a month after production. It is useful to add vinegar in a spice formulation to ensure a consistent product that is safe for consumption.

• Drying rates depend on the type of meat muscle being used‚ and the source of the meat. Gemsbok topside took 76 hours to dry out; fatty beef topside took 118 hours; and beef topside and silverside both needed about 96 hours to dry.

• Yeasts and moulds‚ which often cause a problem during storage‚ generally become visible after six weeks. Although not visible to the naked eye‚ they can be present in high levels at the end of drying.
  

• Weight loss or adding vinegar does not influence the salt content of the dried meat.
  

• Beef biltong without vinegar has a pH of 5.56 to 5.75, while the addition of vinegar to biltong lowered its pH to 4.89 to 4.93, which prevents the growth of microbes.

What other degrees do you think should be added to the South African curriculum?