Presented by Josphat Gichure, Catherine Kunyanga, Pius Mathi and Jasper Imungi at the Conference on Policies for Competitive Smallholder Livestock Production, Gaborone, Botswana, 4-6 March 2015

1. Meat Preservation Technologies in Kenya’s Pastoral Areas with
Potential for Market Competitiveness Improvement
Josphat Gichure, Catherine Kunyanga, Pius Mathi and Jasper Imungi
Conferenceon Policiesfor Competitive Smallholder Livestock Production
Gaborone, Botswana, 4-6 March 2015

2. • The average worldwide losses and waste per
year along the meat value chain estimated at
≈20 % (Parfitt et al., 2010).
• Low-income countries experience greatest
losses (Parfitt et al., 2010; Cederberg et al.,
2011) - caused by:
– underutilization of edible by-products,
– inappropriate post-harvest handling
– inappropriate preservation technologies
Introduction
≥ 40%

3. Introduction cont…
Kenyan case:
• Approx 67 % of red meat is from pastoral
production systems (IPAR, 2004).
• Post-harvest losses in pastoral areas are caused
by poor handling, processing and preservation
technologies
– Problem: these technologies not standardized and
no attempts have been made to mainstream into
formal markets (Gichure et al., 2014).

4. Introduction cont…
• Preservation of pastoral meat generally
through reduction of water activity (Gichure et
al., 2014)
– main techniques: sun-drying‚ deep-frying and
salting of whole-muscle tissues.
– proteolysis, lipolysis, oxidation and microbial
spoilage main cause of spoilage of pastoral meat
products (Zhou et al., 2010)

5. Introduction cont…
• What is a competitive product???
• One with ability to sustainably gain &
maintain market share
– Market share and competitiveness depends on
consumers’ perceived quality cues based on needs
and expectations
– Quality cues for meat products include appearance,
freshness and safety, taste, amount of visible fat/
oil, texture, tenderness and convenience and
perceived quality

6. Introduction cont…
• Market competitiveness of food product also
based on competitive potential, performance
measure and competitive process;
– Performance measure depends on how well the
products are positioned relative to competing products
– Competitive potential depends on availability and
quantity of inputs, cost of raw materials and
productivity
– Competitive process measures degree by which
competitive potential is converted into competitive
performance.

7. Research objective
• This research seeks to improve meat preservation
technologies in pastoral area to enhance
competitiveness of selected local products
• Specifically,
 To identify the most consumed pastoral meat products
 To assess the technologies used to preserve pastoral
meat
 To establish the most competitive products based on
competitive potential, performance measure and
quality cues

8. Justification
• Rapid urbanization in Africa has increased
demand for “indigenous” processed meat in
the urban centers.
• Need for improvement design of the most
promising “local” preservation technologies
based on their market competitiveness.
• Technologies need be standardized for quality
equivalence.

9. Pastoral condition: high temperature ~30-40°C, low humidity
Study area

10. • Focus group discussion and observations used to collect
data
• Each FGD had between 8 to 12 participants of either
gender
• Each group provided with 3 kilograms of hind limb
mutton steak purchased from local slaughterhouse and
were required to preserve it based on indigenous
methods.
• Final products evaluated for potential competitiveness
using 5-pont hedonic scale where 5 = good‚ 4 =
slightly good‚ 3 = neither good nor bad‚ 2 = slightly
bad while 1 = bad.
• Comparisons of products made using corned beef and
beef biltong
Study design and methodology
cont…

11. Results and discussion

12. Results and discussion cont…

13. Results and discussion cont…
Key: - reps Never, -/+ reps At times or rarely, + reps Always

14. Results and discussion cont…

15. Results and discussion cont…
Competitiveness of pastoral meat products
 High scores for appearance‚ flavor‚ availability and cost of
raw materials and shelf-life of final products.
 Low scores for convenience‚ texture and market
performance
 Higher scores for flavor attributed to use of spices and use
of ghee in nyirinyiri and smoke in enyas- spices and smoke
has inhibitory effect to microbial spoilage and chemical
oxidation of products
 Smoke also used to sanitize packaging containers
 Products are cooled to solidify the deep-frying fat/ oil over
meat thereby creating anaerobic conditions- this prolonged
shelf-life. Challenge: products become inconvenient to use
and predispose products to oxidation

16. Results and discussion cont…
vs vs
How do we improve convenience?

17. Conclusion and recommendation
• Competitiveness would be increased if
preservation processes are standardized and
upgraded.
• Increased competitiveness would introduce the
products into formal markets in urban areas
• On basis of technology used; deep-frying‚ drip-
drying‚ cooling products over deep frying oil and
use of spices/ smoke have the greatest potential.
• Further studies should be focused on upgrading
these processes for incorporation into the formal
meat value chan.

18. would wish to Acknowledge
• German Ministry of Education and Research through
RELOAD project
• The entire RELOAD team in E. Africa and Germany
• ILRI

19. Thank you
Presenting author’s contact:
josphatnjengag@gmail.com
+254723379055