Quality properties of sausage made with gamma-irradiated natural pork and lamb casing

Quality properties in emulsion-type sausage stuffed into irradiated natural casing were studied. Fresh salted and semidried natural pork and lamb casi ng was washed and irradiated at 0, 3, and 5 kGy by gamma-ray and emulsion-t ype pork sausage (Brattella Weiss Wurst) was manufactured. The sausage was stored in a 4 degreesC refrigerator. The numbers of total aerobic bacteria, Enterococcus and coliform. bacteria in the irradiated natural casing or sa usage prepared from irradiated casing were significantly, decreased or elim inated compared to those of the nonirradiated control. The D-10 values of t otal aerobic bacteria of the pork and lamb casing were 0.87 and 0.92 kGy, r espectively. The vacuum-packaged sausages made with irradiated casings had a higher 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value than that of the n onirradiated controls only at 5-day with pork casing and at 10-day with lam b casing. The total working force for shear of the sausages was decreased i n both irradiated casings but the sensory evaluation showed no difference. Therefore, the gamma irradiation was a useful technique to sanitize the nat ural pork and lamb casings and to extend shelf-life, primarily microbial qu ality, of the sausage made with natural casings. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.