Product Characteristics and Shelf-Life Effect of Low-Fat Functional Sausages Manufactured with Sodium Lactate and Chitosans During Storage at 10°C

Abstract

Product quality and shelf-life effect of sodium lactate (SL) in combined with chitosans with various molecular weights (MW) in low-fat sausages (LFSs) stored at 10 o C were evaluated. LFSs with SL and chitosans had 75-76% moisture, 1-2% fat, and 15.8-17.1% protein with a pH range of 6.3-6.6. Water holding capacity was decreased, but most textural properties were increased with the addition of chitosan with MW of 30-40 kDa. Hunter a (redness) values were also increased with the addition of sodium lactate and chitosans in combination with laccaic acid at the level of 0.05%, resulting in similar Hunter a value of 150 ppm of sodium nitrite. The combination of SL and chitosans slightly extended the shelf-life of LFSs approximately 3-6 days at 10 o C, resulting in inhibition the growth of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7, as compared to the control. However, the inhibition of microbial growth at 10 o C was not as strong as that at 4 o C. Thus, the storage temperature should be as low (<4 o C) as possible to have a maximum antimicrobial activity in LFS containing SL and various chitosans.