Effect of lipid oxidation on the formation of N-epsilon-carboxymethyl-lysine and N-epsilon-carboxyethyl-lysine in Chinese-style sausage during storage

This work aimed to investigate the effects of lipid oxidation on N-epsilon-carboxymethyllysine (CML) and N-epsilon-carboxyethyllysine (CEL) formation in three types of Chinese-style sausages during storage. Medium-high temperature dried sausage, naturally dehydrated sausage and smoke-dried sausage were prepared, and CML/CEL contents were measured. The result showed that CML and CEL levels increased with the increasing storage time, and an exponential correlation was found between thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) and either CML (r(2)=0.922) or CEL (r(2)=0.921) in medium-high temperature dried sausages and smoke-dried sausage, which suggested that lipid oxidation could facilitate CML/CEL formation during storage. Furthermore, lipid oxidation and the Maillard reaction might have a synergistic effect on CML formation in Chinese-style sausages, as evidence by the results of model system during incubation. These findings indicated that lipid oxidation played a key role in CML/CEL formation during the storage of Chinese-style sausages.