Effects of gamma irradiation and electron beam irradiation on quality, sensory, and bacterial populations in beef sausage patties

This study compared effects of gamma ray (GR) and electron beam (EB) irradiation on quality (TBARS value, hardness, color), sensory characteristics, and total bacterial populations in beef sausage patties during accelerated storage at 30 °C for 10 days. Beef sausage patties were vacuum-packaged and irradiated by GR and EB at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 kGy at room temperature. The results of quality evaluation showed that the effects of GR irradiation were similar (p ⩾ 0.05) to EB irradiation on lipid oxidation, hardness, color and sensory scores of the beef sausage patties. However, GR-irradiated samples had lower (p < 0.05) total bacterial counts than EB-irradiated samples after irradiation, and during storage regardless of irradiation dose. The results indicate that use of GR irradiation up to 10 kGy on patties should be useful in reducing bacterial populations with no adverse effect on quality and most of sensory characteristics (color, chewiness, and taste).