Sensory profiling of electron-beam irradiated ready-to-eat poultry frankfurters

Ready-to-eat poultry frankfurters were irradiated by electron-beam at medium doses of 0, 1, 2 and 3 kGy and evaluated for sensory characteristics over a 32 day refrigerated storage period. A descriptive panel identified and rated 31 attributes describing the effects of irradiation dose on the appearance, aroma, flavor and texture of the frankfurters throughout the shelf-life. It was found that storage time had a more significant effect on frankfurters than irradiation dose. Irradiation affected the aroma attributes of chicken, cured meat, spice blend, and wet dog; the flavor attributes of meaty, chickeny, and off-flavor; and the taste attributes of sour and sweet. The texture of the poultry frankfurters was not significantly affected by irradiation.