Abstract
Pork meatballs are one of popular ready-to-eat meat products, especially in Asia. The shelf-life of this product is only 1 week at 4°C; therefore, antimicrobials, such as benzoic acid, sorbic acid, nitrite, are usually added into the meatballs during manufacturing. Nisin, a bacteriocin produced from Lactococcus lactis, is an alternative natural antimicrobial, which can be safely digested in human digestive tract. The objective of this research was to investigate the efficacy of nisin (6.25, 12.5 and 25.0 mg/kg) on qualities of pork meatballs during refrigerated storage (4±2 °C), compared with control (no nisin added). All samples were examined for microbial growth (total mesophilic aerobic bacteria and total psychrotrophic aerobic bacteria), color, texture, chemical compositions and sensory qualities during storage. All nisin treated samples contained significantly lower total mesophilic and psychrotrophic aerobic microbial counts than those of the control sample during storage (p < 0.05). Samples treated with 25.0 mg/kg nisin was the most efficient in inhibiting total mesophilic and psychrotrophic aerobic microbial growth during 15 of storage at 4°C without affecting other qualities of the meatballs, when compared with those of the control sample.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 57-64 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Carpathian Journal of Food Science and Technology |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |