Three treatments of poultry frankfurters, made with mechanically deboned poultry (MDP), were evaluated for sensory and quality characteristics over a 6-week refrigerated-storage period. The treatments consisted of the addition of: 1) 156 ppm sodium nitrite, 2) 40 ppm sodium nitrite and .26% potassium sorbate, and 3) .26% potassium sorbate. Sensory evaluations utilized triangle tests, hedonic evaluations, and magnitude estimations of flavor and texture. Color was rated with a Gardner color difference meter. Rancidity levels were ascertained by the 2-thio-barbituric acid (TBA) test.In the triangle tests, panelists were able to differentiate between nitrite and nitrite-sorbate frankfurters, as well as between nitrite and sorbate-treated frankfurters, but not between nitrite-sorbate and sorbate frankfurters. On the hedonic scale of 1 to 9 for frankfurter flavor, all treatments were rated as 5, neither like nor dislike. In the magnitude estimation tests for flavor, no differences were found among any of the treatments. However, in color tests under normal lighting, the nitrite-treated frankfurters were judged to have twice the amount of typical frankfurter color as did the nitrite-sorbate and sorbate frankfurters. From magnitude estimation tests of texture, it was found that the inclusion of nitrite at either the 40 or 156 ppm level in frankfurters had improved texture over the ones without nitrite.Gardner color difference meter scores corresponded to the panelists evaluation for triangle tests on color. There were no differences in lightness (L) and yellowness (b) values; however, nitrite frankfurters had highest a values, the most red color. The nitrite frankfurters had low TBA values throughout the study (<. 5 mg/kg sample). The samples with sorbate or nitrite-sorbate exhibited significantly higher TBA values than the samples with nitrite only after 4 and 6 weeks storage at 4 C, possibly due to the oxidation promotion by sorbate.