Ham sausage is a cooked meat product with high protein content and rich nutrition. Such products often shorten the shelf life of ham sausage due to microbial or oxidation problems during transportation, sales, and storage. After the ham sausage is contaminated by microorganisms, the protein in it is decomposed into small molecular substances, so that the product becomes sticky and tastes. The oil loses the protein package. The ham sausage is more likely to separate out of water. At the same time, oxygen oxidizes the oil, pigment, and flavor, which makes the ham sausage discolored and The original quality and flavor are lost, which directly affects product sales.
Therefore, ham sausages need to be kept fresh and quality in the process of transportation and sales.
There are several effective ways to maintain the quality of ham sausage:
1) Use high-barrier packaging materials. Such as: PVDC composite materials.
2) Add preservatives. Such as: potassium sorbate, sodium D-isoascorbate, sodium nitrite, nisin, lysozyme and so on.
3) Store at low temperature.
4) Use food deoxidizers.
Although high-barrier packaging materials can reduce oxygen permeability to a greater extent, they cannot completely isolate oxygen from penetrating into food packaging; adding preservatives can extend the shelf life of food to a certain extent, but it cannot fundamentally solve the problem of food oxidation. Preservatives will be questioned by consumers in terms of safety; cryopreservation is an effective means of maintaining the quality of ham sausages, but the cost of low-temperature storage during transportation and supermarket shelves is high. Therefore, the combination of food deoxidizer and high-barrier packaging material is an effective and low-cost way to keep fresh.
Food deoxidizers can effectively inhibit the growth of aerobic microorganisms in ham sausages, solve problems such as stickiness and discoloration, maintain the flavor of the product, extend its shelf life, and improve the economic value of the product.