Modelling the growth parameters of lactic acid bacteria and total viable count in vacuum-packaged Irish cooked sausages cooled by different methods

Abstract

The growth kinetics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and total viable count (TVC) in cooled sausages as a function of storage time was studied. Cooked sausages were cooled either by commercial cooling or by immersion vacuum cooling (IVC), then vacuum-packaged and stored for up to 71 days at 4 °C. Baranyi model was used to fit the growth of LAB and TVC. Growth curve, growth rate, lag time and initial and final cell concentrations for LAB and TVC were calculated through DMFit. The coefficient of determination and root-mean-squared error of the Baranyi models were used to evaluate its accuracy. Sausages cooled by IVC had a longer lag time and shelf life period than commercial cooled sausages. Accuracy analysis showed that the Baranyi model was adequate for representing the bacterial growth of vacuumpackaged cooled sausages and had a potential for shelf life prediction.