High pressure processing alters water distribution enabling the production of reduced-fat and reduced-salt pork sausages

• HPP increased lightness and whiteness, but reduced redness of sausage with reduced-fat.
• HPP transformed the free water to tightly bound and entrapped water, resulting in improved tenderness of reduced-fat sausages.
• Significant correlations were observed between pH, color, shear force and water distribution.
• HPP contributed to development of protein networks in the gel correlating to micrographs.

High pressure processing (HPP) was used to explore novel methods for modifying the textural properties of pork sausages with reduced-salt, reduced-fat and no fat replacement additions. A 2 × 7 factorial design was set up, incorporating two pressure levels (0.1 or 200 MPa) and seven fat levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%). Sausages treated at 200 MPa exhibited improved tenderness at all fat levels compared with 0.1 MPa treated samples, and the shear force of sausages treated at 200 MPa with 15 or 20% fat content was similar to the 0.1 MPa treated sausages with 30% fat. HPP significantly changed the P2 peak ratio of the four water components in raw sausages, resulting in improved textural properties of emulsion-type sausages with reduced-fat and reduced-salt. Significant correlations were found between pH, color, shear force and water proportions. The scanning and transmission micrographs revealed the formation of smaller fat globules and an improved network structure in the pressure treated sausages. In conclusion, there is potential to manufacture sausages with reduced-fat and reduced-salt by using HPP to maintain textural qualities.