EFFECT OF MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING AND STORAGE TIME ON PHYSICAL AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF SLICED SALAMI

The objective of this study was to investigate the quality properties of sliced and modified atmosphere-packaged salami during refrigerated storage. Salami was sliced and packaged under air and three modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) compositions (100% N-2; 50% CO2, 50% N-2; 5% O-2, 25% CO2, 70% N-2) in polypropylene trays sealed with polyethylene terepthalate/polyvinylidene chloride/oriented polypropylene. Headspace oxygen and carbon dioxide (%), physical (color and texture), chemical (pH) and sensory properties were analyzed for 20 days at 4C. The results showed that CO2 concentration (%) decreased after 5 days of storage for MAP applications with high CO2, which was attributed to the solubility of CO2 in the salami. The pH did not significantly change during storage at all applications (P > 0.05). While L values increased, a and b values decreased during storage. The MAP applications with no oxygen received higher panelist scores and provided better quality characteristics than air and 5% O-2, 25% CO2, 70% N-2 for 15 days.