Quality properties of pork sausage prepared with water-soluble chitosan oligomer.

Emulsion type sausage was prepared with the addition of a chitosan oligomer (molecular weight 5000, 0.2%) and compared to a control. Sausages were aerobic- or vacuum-packaged and stored in a 4°C refrigerator for 3 weeks. Difference of microbial growth between the sample with added chitosan oligomer or control was not observed (P>0.05). Lipid oxidation was lower in the sausage with chitosan oligomer at 3 weeks in aerobic packaging (P<0.05) than in the control sausage. The surface color of the sausage with chitosan oligomer had higher Hunter color L*- and b*-value. Hunter color a*-values were lower in the chitosan oligomer-added sausage and the a*-value increased during storage regardless of packaging (P<0.05). Sensory panels did not detect any difference in color, flavor, texture, and overall acceptance, and mechanical texture analysis also showed no difference. Therefore, the quality of the sausage with added chitosan oligomer (0.2%) was acceptable.