Synergistic effect of gamma rays and citric acid to improve fresh sausage quality

Fresh sausage samples divided into 2 groups, one for the artificial inoculation by Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, and the other group for quality evaluation, were treated by dipping in 5 and 10% citric acid or gamma irradiated at 1.5 and 3.0 kGy with dose rate 4.124 kGy/ h or their combination. Gamma rays (1.5 or 3.0 kGy) significantly reduced the average log count of B. cereus and S. aureus in treated samples. Dipping in 5% or 10% citric acid had no inhibitory effect on the B. cereus counts but had slight inhibitory effect on the S. aureus counts and this effect was proportional with the concentration. The firmness and cooking loss (%) of the study samples were nearly unaffected by citric acid or gamma rays treatments. TBARS were significantly (p 0.05) reduced in all samples compared with the control. The application of both citric acid and gamma irradiation positively impacted color components. It could be conclude that dipping in citric acid (5 or 10%) enhanced the lethality of ionizing radiation (at 1.5 or 3.0 kGy) without negatively impacting sausage color, lipid oxidation and firmness and fatty acids profile.