Volatiles and oxidative changes in irradiated pork sausage with different fatty acid composition and tocopherol content

Aerobic-packaged sausage irradiated at 4.5 kGy had higher (P < 0.05) 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) than those irradiated at 0 or 2.5 kGy at 0-d storage. Generally, TEARS of aerobic- or vacuum-packaged sausage prepared with lard were higher (P < 0.05) than those of sausage prepared with flaxseed oil or corn oil. The amount of 1-heptene and 1-nonene increased (P < 0.05) with increased irradiation doses. Aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols were not influenced by irradiation at 0-d storage. However, Irradiation accelerated lipid oxidation and increased the amount of aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols in aerobic-packaged sausage during storage. The tocopherol content in the sausage influenced (P < 0.05) production of volatiles at different levels of unsaturated fatty acids.