Intl. J. of Molecular Zoology, 2012, Vol.2, No.8, 62
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http://ijmz.sophiapublisher.com
63
The present survey fixes several objectives. It is first
about identifying, describing and characterizing types
of the traditional processes of smoking and
conservation of the bush meat in Congolese farming
environment. Thereafter, stages and impacts of
smoking are identified. Finally, the kinetics of the
temperature at the time of the process of traditional
smoking of the bushmeat is analyzed.
1
Results
1.1
Nature and Measurements of the Smoking Oven
The table 1 gives the dimensional features of the
traditional smokehouse observed during the
investigation. It was about a metallic barrel, of
cylindrical shape. The lower basis of the smokehouse
was open (gate), to act as home from where burns a
fire. The smokehouse was equipped, in its median part,
of a hurdle constituted of the metallic bolsters or in
wood on which rested a metal grating. This device
prevented the direct contact of meat with fire. The
eviscerated meat was put thus to smoke in the
smokehouse, hollow in the bottom part and superior.
Table 1 Middle values, gaps-types and extreme values of
measurements of the main elements of a metallic smokehouse
X
± G-T
X
min
X
max
Barrel diameter (cm)
51.0
± 0.3
58
60
Barrel height (cm)
72.4
± 4.1
51
83
Hurdle height (cm)
46.1
± 5.3
34
55
Smokehouse height (cm)
35.6
± 2.4
24
41
Smokehouse width (cm)
40.7
± 0.5
33
45
1.2
Organization of Work
The animal to smoke or to dry is in most cases, is cut
down by the hunter himself, after a cycle of hunt to
the very short and regular rifle, but sometimes very
variable (enters 3 and 12 months) or is captured by
trapping (all 2 at 3 days).
Techniques of preparing the game use some current
instruments (knife, machete). In the majority of cases
the game of small size is not cut up before smoking.
1.3
Modes of Evisceration and Tear up a Game
The noted technological determinants, in the
quasi-totality of cases observed, amounted to the
evisceration and to tear up the game. Some either the
fashion of transformation, the first operations are
common and begin the freshly dejected game (to the
rifle) captured either (to the net) and succeeds to the
eviscerated game. From the eviscerated meat either
decorated the other unit operations are specific to the
considered final product type. The evisceration and
the tear up are the cardinal operations of the first
phase of transformation. The order of realization of
the first unit operations is not variable. According to
the species and the size of the game the carving of
meat can make before or after the tear up; but the
evisceration is always associated to the tear up. The
rare variations met during the preparation are function
of the nature of the animal. In the case of a game to
hairs or prickles the animal is burnt on the inferno to
inflame it either soaked in the hot water to weaken
prickles in case of the African brush-tailed porcupine
(
Atherurus africanus
).
For many small animals they
are smoked directly with their hairs after evisceration.
The animal eviscerated by the ventral face is spit
while quartering cutlets; it facilitates the internal
penetration of the heat and the emptying of cooking
exudates during smoking. The middle values and
gap-types of the determining mains operations of the
traditional treatments of smoking summaries in shops
are brought back in the table 2. In most cases, the
evisceration took place at the place of slaughtering for
the thick games (to facilitate the transportation of the
game) or close to the camp (case of long length hunt
in forest), or at home. The evisceration had place in
majority, in full air (contact with the sun), or in a few
rare cases under the "
m’bongui
" (
roof to palaver the
chief of family or the village). The animal was spread
out very well on a board, either on leaves of banana
tree or palm, either again on branches or in short on a
metallic sheet metal. In our case, the place the more
used was dominated by the domicile (95% of cases).
However, about an evisceration on 4 was achieved on
places of capture (evisceration of the yellow-backed
duiker). That it was about the evisceration in forest or
at home, the game was the most often disposed on
leaves of banana tree or palm (85% to 90% of cases)
or on branches (10% to 15% of case).