To improve the industrial yield of sodium-reduced meat products, we present a feasible method by adjusting water-immersion cooling temperatures to decrease the water loss of pork sausage during processing. The present results showed that the moisture retention capacity of sodium-reduced pork sausages (SRPS) cooled by the temperatures of 15-20 °C was larger than that of 0-10 °C. The higher cooling temperatures, especially at 20 °C, could change the movement and population of proton of inner water, decrease syneresis and facilitate the formation of homogenous cross-linked network, thus increasing the moisture retention of SRPS. Results of this work indicated that the control of cooling temperature of sodium-reduced sausages after cooking could serve as a feasible approach for improving the economic benefits and quality characteristics of the final products.
Keywords: Cooling temperature; Microstructure; Moisture; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Sausage.
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