title: Effect of irradiation of frozen meat/fat trimmings on microbiological and physicochemical quality attributes of dry fermented sausages.
abstract: Changes in microbiological and physicochemical quality attributes resulting from the use of irradiation in the production of Greek dry fermented sausage were investigated as a function of fermentation/ripening time. Results showed that irradiating meat/fat trimmings at 2 or 4kGy prior to sausage production eliminated natural contamination with Listeria spp., and reduced pseudomonads, enterococci and pathogenic staphylococci, and enterobacteria, to less than 2 and 1logcfug(-1), respectively. Pseudomonads were very sensitive (>3.4 log reduction) to either radiation dose. Yeasts were the most resistant followed by inherent lactic acid bacteria; their reductions on the trimmings were radiation dose-dependent. Residual effects of irradiation were noted against enterococci, but not against gram-negatives which died off fast during fermentation even in non-irradiated samples. Growth of the starter bacteria, Lactobacillus pentosus and Staphylococcus carnosus, inoculated in the sausage batters post-irradiation was unaffected by the 2 or 4kGy pre-treatment of the trimmings. Irradiation had little or no effect at the end of ripening period (28 days) on pH, moisture content and color (parameters L(∗), a(∗), and b(∗)). Changes in TBA values were small but statistically significant with irradiated samples having higher TBA values than control samples.
authors: Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Chouliara
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Samelis
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kakouri
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Badeka
authors: I N
authors: IN
authors: Savvaidis
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Riganakos
authors: M G
authors: MG
authors: Kontominas