Reduction of sodium additives in cooked sausages: effect on physicochemical, sensory and microbiological characteristics

Evaluation of the Quality and Lipid Content of Artisan Sausages Produced in Tungurahua, Ecuador

The consumption of sausage worldwide increases every year; because of this increase, artisanal products have appeared and are intended to be perceived as natural and healthy. Obesity and cardiovascular diseases associated with consuming meat and meat derivatives have been estimated to be the leading cause of death in several countries. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality, lipid content, and presence of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, contributing to demonstrating the real nutritional value of artisanal sausages produced in Ecuador. Sausages from 10 factories in Ambato, Pelileo, and Píllaro, located in Tungurahua, Ecuador, were evaluated. The pH and acidity, color, proximal, sensory, microbiological, and lipid content were assessed. The pH and acidity showed a slight variation in all of the samples. Proximal analysis (moisture, protein, fat, and ash) established that the artisan sausages did not differ from the type of sausages reported in the literature. Microbiological analyses showed a good microbial quality, and there was no presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteria, molds, or yeasts. The sensory attributes were similar for all of the sausages; the panelists did not notice any strange taste or odor. The lipid content showed that the artisanal sausages contained the highest percentage of palmitic, stearic, elaidic, and linolelaidic fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids were the most prevalent in all of the sausages collected from different locations. The results showed that the nutritional, microbiological, and sensory quality of the artisanal sausages did not show any parameter that would allow them to be classified as different or as having a better nutritional value.

Effect of the type of packaging on the shelf life of ground rabbit meat

Rabbit meat consumption has increased worldwide due to its health benefits in humans but few studies addressed the stability of this food matrix. The effect of two types of packaging (vacuum, VP; and polystyrene tray overwrap with PVC/polyvinyl plastic film, PT) was evaluated on the microbial stability (psychrotrophic; PSY, lactic acid bacteria; LAB, initial coliforms counts) and physicochemical (pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total volatile basic Nitrogen (TBV-N), color and drip loss) changes of ground rabbit meat during its storage at 4 ± 1 °C. VP packaging delayed PSY growth, lipid oxidation, protein degradation and undesirable color changes compared to PT samples. Shelf life of ground rabbit meat in vacuum condition could be around 10 days of storage, while PT samples presented a shorter shelf life of around 5 days. However, sensory studies must be performed in order to assure the exact shelf life of the final product.