The effects of fermentation time on heat treated sucuk (turkish-style dry-fermented sausage)

As a result of the meat industry's search for a shorter and safer production method; heat treatment became the most popular production method after a short fermentation in sucuk manufacture. Heat treatment of at least 68 degrees C is applied in the production of sausage which causes deterioration of quality attributes of the product. The effect of heat treatment at 60 degrees C for 10 minutes on sucuk attributes was determined during fermentation intervals and after heat treatment, and the properties of the heat treated sucuk samples were compared with the traditional sucuk. Heat treated sucuk was fermented in different fermentation intervals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 days). The optimum fermentation time was tried to be determined for the sucuk samples with the desired properties. For traditional sucuk, fermentation continued for nine days. All processes were carried out under commercial and industrial conditions. Heat treatment increased dry matter contents (protein, fat, salt and ash), pH values, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values of sucuk in all fermentation intervals. Moreover, heat treatment reduced moisture contents, free fatty acidity values, total viable and lactic acid bacteria, and the counts of Staphylococcus/Micrococcus and Enterobacteriaceae. Heat treatment decreased L*, a* and b* values and decreased residual nitrite, total haem pigment and nitrosomyoglobin amounts but increased nitrozation ratio. With the application of 60 degrees C for ten minutes of heat treatment, microbial destruction at higher temperatures around 70 degrees C degrees was reached after the fermentation period of 2 days. In terms of the measured parameters, it was determined that it was possible to produce sausage by applying heat treatment at 60 degrees C at the end of fermentation for at least two days. However, the added starter culture was also destructed by heat treatment especially after two days of fermentation. As the fermentation time increased, the sensory quality properties of the heat treated sucuk improved and approached to traditionally fermented sucuk.