The Processing and Storage Characteristics of Sichuan Sauce-flavored Air-dried Sausage and Its Characteristics of “Shallow Fermentation”

The characteristics of physicochemical,microbiological,and flavor substances during processing and storage of Sichuan sauce-flavored dried sausage were studied. The results showed that pH,water content,and a_w values gradually decreased during the Sichuan sauce-flavored dried sausage processing,and stabilized until the storage phase. Especially the pH decline of Sichuan sauce-flavored dried sausage was greater than that of conventional sausages and less than that of western-style fermented sausages. The total number of colonies gradually increased and stabilized during the processing stage,while the lactic acid bacteria increased firstly and then gradually decreased to some extent. There were two stages for Micrococcus. During the first stage,the air-drying fermentation period,Micrococcus increased to approximately 10⁴ CFU/g,and increased at a low rate to 10⁵ CFU/g during the second stage and remained stable. The total free amino acids(TAA),essential amino acids(EAA),and umami amino acids(DAA)in the sausages increased along with the drying time. The study showed that the Sichuan sauce-flavored dried sausage had the most types and amount of volatile flavor materials,and the largest proportion of volatile flavor materials was olefin compounds,followed by esters and alcohols. The volatile flavor components showed significant differences in the types and amount at different processing and storage stages. Analysis of the results showed that the sauce-flavored dried sausage exhibited unique shallow fermentation characteristics. Even after the packaging storage period,changes in indicators such as microorganisms and flavor components showed a certain post-fermentation effect,which needs further investigation.