Chinese Sausage Research Articles

Quality characteristics of Chinese sausages made from PSE pork

Chinese sausages made from normal and different levels of PSE pork (100% Normal, 50%Normal+50% PSE and 100% PSE) were vacuum-packaged and stored at 4 °C for 45 days. The composition, processing yield, pH value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, water activity, lactic acid bacteria counts and sensory properties of the meat products were evaluated. PSE pork loins had lower pH value, water holding capacity, moisture, fat and myofibrillar proteins content, but higher L ∗ value, drip loss and protein content than normal pork. Sausages made from 100% PSE pork had lower pH value, processing yield, moisture and fat content, but higher protein content than those of the 100% Normal and the 50% Normal+50% PSE treatments. Water activity was higher in the 100% PSE treatment than in other treatments. No differences in lactic acid bacterial counts among these treatments were observed. The pH values and water activity of the meat samples decreased, while lactic acid bacterial counts increased with storage time. TBA values among these treatments were not significantly different; however, the increase% of TBA values was higher for the 100% PSE treatment. TBA values of all treatments remained relatively low during storage. Chinese sausages made with 50–100% PSE pork had lower sensory texture, flavor and overall acceptability scores than the control samples, but were of acceptable quality.

APPLICATION OF α‐TOCOPHEROL IN DRY CHINESE POWCHICKEN SAUSAGES

ABSTRACTChicken breast at 8%, 17% and 25% levels was used to replace pork fat in a low‐fat dry Chinese sausage. This replacement resulted in more lipid and oxymyoglobin oxidation; also pH values declined (P<0.05) during 4C storage. Cooking loss decreased with increasing chicken cantent in sausaga (P<0.05). The addition of α‐tocopherol to pork/chicken sausages delayed lipid and oxymyoglobin oxidation (P<0.05) but did not influence pH value or cooking loss.

Conjoint Analysis of Consumer Preferences and Evaluations of a Processed Meat

A conjoint experiment was designed to survey and analyze a sample of Taiwanese housewives for their evaluations of various Chinese sausage attributes. Individual part-worth functions based on respondents' preference ranking data were estimated. Subsequently, the Ward's method of cluster analysis was employed to form three distinct market segments. A multinomial logit model was then estimated to identify important socioeconomic variables that differentiate the market segments. The study assesses the relative importance of the selected product attributes and draws implications concerning what attributes are most desirable and what potential trade-offs among attributes are acceptable to the consumers.

EFFECTS OF PHOSPHATE TYPE, PACKAGING METHOD AND STORAGE TIME ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHINESE SAUSAGE

The effects of phosphate type, packaging method and storage time on pH, moisture, water-holding capacity, TBA values, residual nitrite and total aerobic and anaerobic plate counts on Chinese sausage were determined. Sausage containing a blended phosphate had the highest water holding capacity. The pH and residual nitrite levels of Chinese sausage were higher (P < 0.05) in the group containing tetrasodium pyrophosphate, than the other phosphate treatments. Sausages contianing sodium hexametaphosphate had the lowest pH (P < 0.05), the least amount of residual nitrite and the higest TBA values. Chinese sausage which was vacuum packaged had lower (P < 0.05) TBA values than nonvacuum packaged sausage during 4–6 weeks of storage. No major microbial problems were observed in any of the samples during 6 weeks of storage.

The effect of dietary factors on nitrosoproline levels in human urine.

The effect of dietary components on the levels of nitrosoproline ( NPRO ) excreted over a 24 h period in the urine was examined in volunteers ingesting known amounts of various food products. The ingestion of nitrite-preserved meats (85-170 g per meal), including canned, rolled or Yunnan ham, cured pork, luncheon meat, and various Chinese and European-style sausages, led to urinary NPRO excretion levels ranging from 2.5 to 78.5 micrograms/24 h, whereas the consumption of non-preserved meat and fish products, including chicken, herring, salmon, shrimp, ground beef (hamburger), pork chops and beef liver, led to relatively low NPRO excretion levels, ranging from 0.0 to 0.8 micrograms/24 h. The urinary NPRO levels of 22 vegetarians and 14 lacto-vegetarians averaged 0.8 and 1.4 micrograms/24 h, respectively. A change from a nitrite-preserved meat diet to a vegetarian diet was accompanied by an approximately six-fold reduction in urinary NPRO levels; however, these remained above control levels for at least 3 days following the dietary change. The relatively high NPRO levels following the ingestion of nitrite-preserved meats could not be reduced by nitrite-trapping chemicals, including ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, or phenolic-containing mixtures such as coffee and tea, which were effective in suppressing endogenous NPRO formation following the intake of nitrate and proline. The high urinary NPRO levels after ingestion of preserved meat products appear to be due to the consumption of preformed NPRO . An understanding of the relative contribution of preformed and endogenously formed nitrosamines appears to be essential when designing dietary intervention programmes.

Nitrate, nitrite, dimethylnitrosamine and n-nitrosopyrrolidine in some Chinese food products

Summary Over 60 samples of commonly consumed Chinese food products, including dried shrimps, shrimp sauce and paste, oyster sauce, fish sauce. Chinese sausages and dried squid, were analysed for the presence of dimethylnitrosamine and N -nitrosopyrrolidine. Low levels of dimethylnitrosamine (1–15 ppb*) and N -nitrosopyrrolidine (2–37 ppb) were detected in such foods and were confirmed in several samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. No correlation was found between the amounts of residual nitrate or nitrite present and the levels of nitrosamines found in the food.