Theses and Dissertations
Advisor
Schilling, Wes
Committee Member
Zhang, Xue
Committee Member
Smith, Brian
Committee Member
Zhang, Li
Date of Degree
8-7-2025
Original embargo terms
Embargo 1 year
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Department
Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion
Abstract
The demand for clean-label meat products has increased interest in natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials. This study evaluated the effects of buffered dry vinegar (BDV), fermented onion juice (FOJ), and their combination (CMB) on microbial stability and sensory quality of pork sausage during 9 days of refrigerated storage. Sausages were assigned to control, FOJ (0.5%), BDV (0.5%), or CMB (0.25% each) treatments. BDV and CMB significantly reduced aerobic and psychrotrophic counts by days 7-9, while yeast increased across all treatments over time, reaching ~7 Log CFU/g by day 9. Sensory analysis revealed lower oxidation and off-note intensity in raw CMB samples and reduced spoilage aroma and degree of difference ratings in cooked BDV and CMB samples (P < 0.05). GC-MS analysis indicated declining herbaceous volatiles and rising spoilage-associated compounds. Combining FOJ and BDV, alongside strategies to control yeast, shows potential as clean-label solutions to extend pork sausage shelf-life.
Sponsorship (Optional)
National Pork Board
Recommended Citation
Little, Emily M., "Impact of buffered dry vinegar and fermented onion juice on the quality and shelf-life of fresh pork breakfast sausage" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 6659.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6659
