Effect of the use of entire male fat in the production of reduced salt fermented sausages

• Effect of entire male back fat and salt reduction in fermented sausages was studied.
• Sausage quality was mainly affected by the use of entire male back fat.
• Entire male back fat produced changes in sausage texture, oxidation and volatile.
• Salt reduction affected sausage texture and taste.
• Consumers perceived a higher effect of fat type than the produced by salt reduction.

The effect of the use of entire male fat and salt reduction in dry fermented sausages was evaluated. Four different sausage formulations were manufactured with back fat from gilt or entire male and two different salt contents. The physicochemical parameters, sensory characteristics, texture, lipid composition, volatile compounds and boar taint compounds were analysed. The use of entire male fat produced the highest weight losses producing high hardness and chewiness while salt reduction produced a decrease in hardness. Entire male sausages had the lowest oxidation values due to the low content of C18:2n6 while salt reduction did not affect the oxidation process. Boar taint odour was due to the presence of androstenone and skatole but entire male fat sausages had different generations of volatile compounds. The presence of androstenone was perceived by consumers as abnormal odours but also other sausage characteristics such as texture (high hardness) and oxidation were detected due to the different chemical compositions of entire males versus gilts.