STORAGE STABILITY OF VACUUM-PACKAGED FROZEN PORK SAUSAGE CONTAINING SOY PROTEIN-CONCENTRATE, CARRAGEENAN OR ANTIOXIDANTS

Fresh pork sausage patties containing carrageenan, without or with soy protein and an antioxidant were packaged with or without vacuum. They were evaluated for sensory properties, visual color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and Hunter color 'L', 'a', 'b' values at 4-wk intervals during 16 wk frozen storage. Rosemary extract was as effective as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)/propyl gallate (PG)/citric acid (CA) in antioxidant properties, but patties with BHT/PG/CA showed less surface discoloration (P < 0.05). In fat-control (FC) products, antioxidants combined with vacuum packaging provided optimum protection against rancidity. With vacuum packaging (VP), reduced-fat products maintained acceptable quality (TBARS and sensory properties) during 16 wks frozen storage.