Effect of Quality Improvers on the Characteristics of Shallow Fermented Sausage Products and Principal Component Analysis

In order to improve the loose structure of shallow fermented sausage and the dry and hard texture, 0.2% complex phosphate (CP), 0.2% Konjac gum (KGM), 0.2% acetylated distarch adipate (ADA) and 2.0% corn starch (CST) were selected as the quality improers. And the effects of the quality improver on air-drying efficiency, texture, physicochemical, cooking loss and microorganism of sausage were studied. The results showed that, the addition of quality improver increased the moisture activity of the product. KGM and ADA had significant effects on reducing product hardness, enhancing taste, improving product color and tissue compactness (P<0.01). CP and ADA could significantly reduce product cooking loss (P<0.01). CST could improve the water retention of sausages and reduce cooking loss during the early storage period, but after 30 days of storage, the water retention effect was greatly reduced. Moreover, CST could promote microbial growth, while KGM could inhibit microbial growth. Further principal component analysis (PCA) showed that there was a significant positive correlation between lactic acid bacteria content, hardness and chewiness, a significant negative correlation with a_w, and a positive correlation between color and pH. According to the comprehensive score, the comprehensive ranking of the quality improvers was: ADA>KGM>CST>CP>CK. Acetylated distarch adipate and konjac gum had better effects on improving the quality of sausages. This study showed that the quality improver could significantly improve the texture, color, and water retention of shallow-fermented sausage, and the improvement of the a_w of the product might have an adverse effect on the storability of the product, which need to be further explored.