Technology transfer of some Moroccan traditional dairy products (lben, jben and smen) to small industrial scale

Moroccan traditional dairy products, especially the fermented types, have been the pride of culinary tradition for centuries. It is evident that these products have played a major role in the diet of communities in the rural region. Among those, Iben, smen and jben are the most common and are being increasingly marketed throughout the country in informal ways. They should be produced and their chemical composition should be adapted to the international economic environment and in compliance with food safety requirements. Traditional methods of manufacture should take advantage of technical progress to assure a reasonable margin of benefit, and at the same time conserve the authenticity and origin(s) of these products. The requirements for an adequate and sustainable technology transfer of three traditional Moroccan fermented dairy products (i.e. lben, jben and smen) are discussed in the scope of the transfer of these products' technologies to small and/or medium industrial scale. Schemes to standardize the manufacturing stages of lben, smen and jben making are proposed. Emphasis is put on the relevance of the role of the starter cultures as the missing part in the traditional methods of manufacture to ascertain appropriate transfer with respect to the maintenance of sensory profiling, nutritional quality and physical properties of the original products. Relevant research and development activities are suggested: regulatory aspects to define objectively the quality criteria and to protect the authenticity of the product are also discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.