Influence of ultrasound on the microbiological and physicochemical stability of saramunete ( Pseudupeneus maculatus ) sausages

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the stability of saramunete sausages submitted to different post-packaging procedures [heat treatment-HT (80°C/10 min); ultrasound-US (37 kHz/10 min); the combination of heat treatment and ultrasound-HT+US (80°C & 37 kHz/10 min); and control-C (no treatment)].The combination HT+US at day 1 provided lower water activity (0.974 ± 0.002), pH (6.79 ± 0.03), and non-protein nitrogen (NPN-440.14 ± 4.86 mg/100 g) compared to the other treatments. During storage at 6.0 ± 1.0°C, HT+US provided better stability with lower rates of lipid oxidation, a shorter time for NPN stabilization, and a longer time for the accumulation of TVB-N. On the 22nd storage day, counts of ~4 log CFU psychrotrophic microorganisms were found and kept up to end of storage. Therefore, shelf life of up to 22 days is recommended for vacuum-packed saramunete sausage submitted to HT+US during refrigerated storage. Practical applicationsFish consumption in Brazil is low compared to the recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization. To increase consumption, it is necessary to use species of commercial interest, such as saramunete, to produce high added value products such as sausages (easier to prepare at home and longer shelf life). The use of combined processing steps employing emerging conservation techniques such as ultrasound may warrant the quality and increase the stability of saramunete sausages. It was observed that the use of ultrasound combined with heat treatment, after vacuum packing, warranted quality and increased the shelf life of the sausages. Ultrasound is a cost-effective and easy-to-apply technique that can be implemented at pilot and industrial scales. How to cite this article: Macedo IME, Andrade HA, Shinohara NKS, Maciel MIS, Glória MBA, Oliveira Filho PRC. Influence of ultrasound on the microbiological and physicochemical stability of saramunete (Pseudupeneus maculatus) sausages. J