The effects of high pressure treatment and of storage periods on the quality of vacuum-packed “salchichón” made of raw material enriched in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids

This study investigates the effects of high-pressure processing on the microbiological, physico-chemical and sensory properties of 3 fermented Spanish dry sausages (salchichón), all high in unsaturated fatty acids. The products, manufactured from the sausage meat and back fat of pigs fed on high-oleic and high-linoleic diets and a control diet, were vacuum-packed prior to high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) treatment (500 MPa, 5 min), and storage at 6 °C for up to 210 days. High-pressure treatment slightly inhibited certain microorganisms, especially yeasts and moulds, and psychotrophic and anaerobic bacteria. Consequentially, microbial counts fell, although injured microorganisms recovered during storage except in the case of the high-linoleic salchichón, in which they remained inactive causing it to register the lowest counts. High-pressure treatment had no noticeable effect on the physico-chemical and sensory properties of the three samples suggesting that it improves the food safety of salchichón with no detrimental effects on organoleptic properties.Industrial relevanceThe problem of safe preservation is increasingly complex for the meat industry as today's products require longer shelf lives and greater assurance of protection from microbial spoilage. High pressure processing is finding increased use in products such as sliced cured meats, where microbial contamination can occur during the slicing process and develop over storage. This study evaluates the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory characteristics of vacuum-packed slices of dry fermented sausage – control (CO), high oleic (HO), and high linoleic (HL) salchichón samples – following high pressure treatment and subsequent chilled storage, contributing thereby to the growing body of knowledge on this new food preservation technology, which produces microbiologically safe food products with long shelf lives, whilst retaining high nutritional and sensory qualities.