Felicitas Mukumbo, a PhD student at the University of Fort Hare under the supervision of Prof Voster Muchenje (University of Fort Hare) and Prof Louw Hoffman (University of Stellenbosch) and Dr Elodie Arnaud (Cirad, University of Stellenbosch), is working on the use of Moringa oleifera as a natural antioxidant in pork dröewors.

The aim of the project is to investigate the use of Moringa oleifera leaves as a natural antioxidant in the production of “dröewors”, a traditional South African dried sausage. Dröewors is not typically made with pork because of its susceptibility to oxidative deterioration. The project aims to investigate the drying kinetics and map the development of oxidation in this new product. The antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Moringa oleifera powder in pork dröewors will be investigated during processing and storage. The effects of its inclusion on product, nutritional profile and sensory quality will also be determined.

During her PhD, two stays of 2 months are planned in 2015 and 2016 in CIRAD Montpellier (QualiSud Research Unit) in the framework of a Protea Programme. There, under the supervision of Dr Adriana Descalzo and Prof Antoine Collignan, she will follow the lipid oxidation kinetic during dröewors production and storage.