Effect of the packaging method and the storage time on lipid oxidation and colour stability on dry fermented sausage salchichón manufactured with raw material with a high level of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The effects of fatty acid composition, two packaging methods (vacuum and 20% CO(2)/80% N(2)) and storage under refrigeration for 210 days were evaluated on a dry fermented sausage (salchichón), manufactured with raw material enriched in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fatty acid composition was determined on sausage mixtures and on ripened sausages and lipid oxidation and colour stability was determined on ripened sausage at different times during storage. The modification of fatty acid composition of the sausages raised the nutritional quality, slightly affecting the colour properties. Dry fermented sausages enriched in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids presented higher lipid oxidation values than the control ones. Both packaging methods (vacuum and 20% CO(2)/80% N(2)) during 210 days of chilled storage had minor effects on the colour and the lipid oxidation stability.

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the microbiological and sensory quality on a dry cured beef product: "Cecina de león".

The aim of this study was to investigate the shelf-life of commercial "Cecina de León" (CL) packaged in vacuum (VP) and in CO(2)/N(2) atmospheres (20/80% CO(2)/N(2) and 80/20% CO(2)/N(2)). Packaged product was stored at 6°C, measuring microbiological, physico-chemical and sensory parameters during 210 days. The values obtained for mesophilic aerobic, anaerobic and psychrotrophic counts did not vary in both the vacuum and the gas packaged samples after 210 days of storage. Enterobacteria and enterococci were always below the detection limit, and in the gas-packaged CL, pseudomonad numbers were significantly inhibited. No changes were observed in the counts of the typical microflora of CL (Lactic Acid Bacteria, yeasts and moulds and Micrococcaceae) up to 210 days and no differences (p>0.05) were found between the counts in the VP and in the gas-packaged samples. A pronounced initial fading was observed in redness (a(∗)) within the first 15 days in the VP samples and within the second month in the gas-packaged samples attributed to the presence of white film on surface of CL portions. No differences were observed (p>0.05) in texture parameters evaluated between packaging methods during storage, and the values found are within the range for CL not packaged. The sensory properties of CL stored in 20/80% CO(2)/N(2) were slightly less acceptable than the samples packed under vacuum and under 80/20% CO(2)/N(2) at 210 days of storage. It is concluded that no clear advantage of the gas packaging was observed compared to the VP of "Cecina de León".