Reciprocal Meat Conference Abstracts

Light-Induced Discoloration of Sliced Packaged Salami is Non-Reversible

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Abstract

Objectives Sliced fermented salami sausages packaged in modified atmospheres (MA) are prone to discoloration by a combination of residual O2 in the headspace and light at retail display. To avoid discoloration, packages of uncooked salami should be stored in darkness until all O2 is removed by internal processes in the product, usually within a few days. The aim of this study was to determine if the color of salami could return from brown to red by extended illuminated display in pack-ages with MA`s, in which residual O2 was present in the early, but not the later stage of display. Materials and Methods Dry fermented raw salami was produced with pork, pork fat, beef, starter culture, salt, sugars and 120 ppm sodium nitrite. Packages with 150 g sliced salami were inserted with air and CO2 through self-sealing septas to contain approximately 5% O2, 50% CO2 and 45% N2 with a gas to product ratio of 1.1 to 1. The lower and up-per films for the packages were laminates with EVOH as O2 barrier. The transparent packages were exposed to continuous LED light type 68 W 830 (Glamox AS, Oslo, Norway) of 3.5 W/m2 (1100 lux) for 10 d at 20°C. Concentrations of O2 in the packages were measured at the time of packaging and d 1, 2, 3, and 4 of display with a Checkmate 3 instrument (Dansensor, Ringsted, Denmark). CIE L*a*b* values (lightness, redness and yellowness) were analyzed through the packaging films at d 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10 of display with a Minolta Chroma Meter CR-400 (Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan). The experiment included 3 batches of salami with 5 packages per batch. Analysis of variance was performed for all data using a general linear model in Minitab 17 Statistical Software (Minitab Inc., State College, PA, USA), and means were separated by Tukey’s multiple comparison test. Results Concentrations of O2were reduced from the initial 5% to 0% at d 4 of display. The initial a* values of sausages from the 3 batches were approximately 16, which is fully red. Within 2 d of display, a* values were substantially reduced to 9 to 10 (P

Keywords: discoloration, light, residual oxygen, salami

How to Cite:

Sorheim, O., Sanden, K., Berg, P. & Larsen, H., (2019) “Light-Induced Discoloration of Sliced Packaged Salami is Non-Reversible”, Meat and Muscle Biology 1(3). doi: https://doi.org/10.221751/rmc2017.028