Influence of Heat Treatment on the Chemical, Physical, Microbiological and Sensorial Properties of Pork Liver Pâté as Affected by Fat Content

Abstract

The novelty of this study is the investigation of the effect of different heat treatments and, simultaneously, the effect of different fat levels on the quality of pork liver pâtés. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of heat treatment and fat content on selected properties of pork liver pâté. For this purpose, four batches of pâtés with two different fat contents (30 and 40% (w/w)) and two different heat treatments (pasteurisation: target temperature 70 °C, holding time of 10 min; sterilisation: target temperature 122 °C, holding time of 10 min) were manufactured. Chemical (pH, dry matter, crude protein, total lipid, ammonia, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)), microbiological, colour, textural, rheological, and sensory analyses were performed. Both different heat treatment and fat content affected most of the parameters observed. Sterilisation ensured the commercial sterility of the manufactured pâtés, resulting in elevated TBARS values, hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess and springiness, and increased rheological parameters (G′, G″, G*, and η*), as well as colour changes (decrease in L* and increase in a*, b*, and C* values) and deterioration of appearance, consistency, and flavour also being detected (p < 0.05). Higher fat content caused similar variations in the textural and viscoelastic properties, i.e., the increase in hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess and springiness, and also in G′, G″, G*, and η* (p < 0.05). However, the colour and sensorial parameters changed in different ways compared to the changes induced by the sterilisation effect. Overall, the observed changes might not be desirable for some consumers and further research would be appropriate to improve especially the sensorial attributes of sterilised pork liver pâtés.

The Effects of Sunflower and Maize Crop Residue Extracts as a New Ingredient on the Quality Properties of Pork Liver Pâtés

“…The inclusion of crop extracts resulted in a significant decrease in pH compared to both the control and BHT pâtés ( p < 0.01) over the 90-day storage period. Despite these statistically significant differences, variations in this parameter were small, ranging from 6.33 to 6.52, which is considered to be usual for this kind of product [ 71 ]. This aligns with the findings of Martín-Sánchez et al [ 46 ] and Lorenzo et al [ 47 ], who reported the addition of grape seed extract, green tea extract, and date palm coproducts paste, rich in organic acids, to decrease the pH value in raw minced porcine patties and spreadable pork liver pâtés.…”

“…These sensory characteristics scores could be related to the lipid oxidation results and the presence of fat-oxidized metabolites. Namely, the higher POV and TBARs values in the SSRE and MSRE formulations could be responsible for the poor flavor ratings of these pâtés [ 43 , 71 ]. Other authors have also linked lipid oxidation to the presence of off-odor and off-flavor in patties, however, unlike our results, in their studies, natural plant extracts were effective in reducing rancid odor and flavor development [ 62 , 90 ].…”

Studies on Food Physical Characterization

“…Heat Treatment Effects on Pork Liver Pâté Quality: Lazárková et al [4] examine the influence of heat treatment and fat content on pork liver pâté quality. Their study highlights the multifaceted impact of processing parameters on chemical, physical, microbiological, and sensorial properties, essential for optimizing pâté formulations.…”