Physicochemical, techno-functional, and antioxidant properties of a novel bacterial exopolysaccharide in cooked beef sausage.

This work investigates the effects of partial replacement of vitamin C (Vit C) with a purified exopolysaccharide (EPS-Ca6) produced by Lactobacillus sp. Ca6, on the antioxidant activities of cooked beef sausages during refrigerated storage. The physicochemical, techno-functional and viscosity properties of EPS-Ca6 were also studied. Functional properties of EPS-Ca6 were determined based on Water Holding Capacity (WHC), Oil Holding Capacity (OHC), emulsification activity, and foaming ability. EPS-Ca6 demonstrated excellent emulsifying and emulsion stabilizing properties. It was able to emulsify several food-grade oils and hydrophobic compounds, particularly corn oil and diesel with emulsification indexes of 90 and 100%, respectively at a concentration of 0.5%. The effect of EPS-Ca6 on oxidative processes in cooked beef sausages during storage up to 12days at 4°C was evaluated. The obtained results showed a high rate (p<0.05) of oxymyoglobin (OxyMb) and low lipid oxidation. Overall, our findings provided evidence that EPS-Ca6 could be used as a natural additive for maintaining storage stability of cooked beef sausages, and could replace synthetic polymer in several industrial applications.