Correlation between natural microbial load and formation of ropy slime affecting the superficial color of vacuum-packaged cooked sausage

Carlos Alberto Guerra; Lucas Marques Costa; Vanessa Sales de Oliveira; Breno Pereira de Paula; Wilson José Fernandes Lemos Junior; Rosa Helena Luchese; Viviana Corich; Alessio Giacomini; André Fioravante Guerra

doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109197

Correlation between natural microbial load and formation of ropy slime affecting the superficial color of vacuum-packaged cooked sausage

Meat Sci. 2023 Jul:201:109197. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109197. Epub 2023 Apr 20.

Authors

Carlos Alberto Guerra¹, Lucas Marques Costa², Vanessa Sales de Oliveira³, Breno Pereira de Paula⁴, Wilson José Fernandes Lemos Junior⁵, Rosa Helena Luchese³, Viviana Corich⁶, Alessio Giacomini⁶, André Fioravante Guerra⁷

Affiliations

¹ Guerra e Castro Engenharia Ltda (G&C), 25870 000 Comendador Levy Gasparian, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; BRC Ingredientes Ltda, 13505-600 Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil.
² BRC Ingredientes Ltda, 13505-600 Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Post Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology, Department of Food Technology, Institute of Technology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, 23897 970 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil.
⁴ Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET/RJ), 27600 000 Valença, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁵ Bioresources Unit, Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT, Austrian Institute of Technology, GmbH, 3430Tulln, Austria.
⁶ Department of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Padua, Italy.
⁷ Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET/RJ), 27600 000 Valença, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: andre.guerra@cefet-rj.br.

PMID: 37116267
DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109197

Abstract

The present study outlines a comprehensive correlation between the natural microbial load, which is predominantly composed of heat-resistant sporous-forming Bacillus, and the changes in the original properties related to the superficial color of vacuum-packaged cooked sausages. For this purpose, microbial growth curves were plotted by stimulating the growth of the natural microbiota in sausage packages at different temperatures. The correlations were investigated during sample incubation by the instrumental evaluation of color and the ropy slime detection on the sausage surface. The entrance of the natural microbiota into the stationary phase (ca. 9.3 log cfu/g) resulted in changes in the superficial color, which was demonstrated by the discoloration of vacuum-packaged cooked sausages. Therefore, it seems to be a suitable borderline for predictive models applied in durability studies that aim to estimate the period in which vacuum-packaged cooked sausages keep their typical superficial color, anticipating product refusal in markets.

Keywords: Autochthonous; Best before; Meat products; Microorganism; Spoilage; Use-by.

MeSH terms

Colony Count, Microbial
Cooking
Food Microbiology*
Food Packaging / methods
Meat Products*
Vacuum