Kilichi is a dried beef meat product traditionally produced and consumed in Sahelian Africa. Difficulties in the production process of kilichi concern both the lack of quality control during its production, storage and the use of rudimentary equipment; consequently, the quality of kilichi is affected. It is therefore necessary to improve kilichi production process. In the current study, kilichi has been produced by three different processes: a traditional process (using millet stem mat and a traditional smokehouse) and two modified processes (using a gas dryer and a sundrying equipment). The quality of each equipment was evaluated based on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensorial analyses of derived products. Results showed that kilichi samples from the three processes are of good nutritional, microbiological and sensorial quality. However, the use of gas dryer in the modified process reduced the duration of the drying process of kilichi by two hours and cut-down the number of pathogens by more than 90%. Its also improved the appearance, color, and crunchiness compared to the traditional process

Meat, quality, processes, equipment