The physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of pork jerky in comparison to beef jerky.

This study was carried out to compare the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of beef and pork jerky, prepared from whole muscle of beef semimembranosus (BSM), pork semimembranosus (PSM), pork longissimus dorsi (PLD), and pork psoas major (PPM). The BSM and PSM jerky had higher moisture content, and PPM jerky had lower water activity than other jerky samples during 30days of storage at 25°C (P<0.05). Pork jerky samples had higher lightness value than beef jerky, while PSM jerky had higher pH value than other jerky samples (P<0.05). The shear force and TBARS values of PPM jerky were higher than those of other jerky samples (P<0.05). Saturated fatty acid (SFA, %) was significantly higher in the BSM jerky than others, while unsaturated fatty acid (UFA, %) was significantly higher in the PSM and PLD than BSM and PPM jerky samples (P<0.05). The PPM jerky showed a significant increase in UFA (%) during storage, and a significantly decrease in microbial count after storage of 30days (P<0.05).

Textural and sensory properties of low fat pork sausages with added hydrated oatmeal and tofu as texture-modifying agents.

Low fat sausages were prepared with added hydrated oatmeal or tofu as texture-modifying agents at levels of 10%, 15%, and 25% (w/w), respectively. The effects of the type and level of texture-modifying agents on the physical and sensory properties of low fat sausages were investigated. The water-holding capacity in sausage products increased by increasing the hydrated oatmeal level, but no significant differences was observed by the addition of tofu. The higher level of the agents produced a sausage product with less cooking loss and with a softer texture. The moisture absorption measurements suggest that the decrease in hardness of oatmeal-added sausage products may be due to the higher water-retention properties of oatmeal in response to heat treatment, while that of tofu-added sausage products may be associated with a weaker internal structure of tofu than the pork loin. The sensory evaluations indicated that the greatest overall acceptability in a low fat sausage was attained when the hydrated oatmeal or tofu were at their 15% addition level, respectively.