Characterization of traditional processing of pork meat into boucané

Boucané is a traditional meat product from Réunion that is obtained by salting, drying and hot smoking pork belly. One-step unit operations give rise to a stable product with remarkable colour and flavour qualities. Smoking the product directly over embers, however, leads to benzo(a)pyrene contamination. Mass transfers (salt gain, water loss) stabilize the end product, which has a 28.5% water content and 5.6% salt content. Lipid oxidation and Maillard reactions are the main mechanisms involved in the boucané production process. The molecules derived from these two reactions are — along with smoke compounds — responsible for the flavour and colour of the end product.