Effect of Chitosan Hydrogel inclusion on Centesimal Composition of Pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) (Sauvage, 1878) Emulsion Sausages under Refrigerated Storage

Abstract

Chitosan is a diverse polymer of biological origin
having a widespread application in food industry.
The cross linking properties of chitosan beneficially
affects the protein-carbohydrate interactions which
in turn enhances the functional properties in
emulsion based meat products. In this context, the
present study was conducted to incorporate chitosan
hydrogel in varying ratio (0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375 and
0.5%) into fish mince (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)
(Sauvage, 1878) sausages in order to develop a
functional sausage products upon storage. Samples
without chitosan additions showed a significant and
rapid decline in the crude protein content after the
24th day of storage in contrast to the chitosan treated
groups where a slower rate of decline was found
only after 48th days of storage. Fat content also
showed greater stability in the values in case of
chitosan added samples upto 48th days of storage
in comparison to the control samples where a rapid
decrease in the contents were observed. However,
ash and carbohydrate content showed minor variations
among the treatment and control groups
though all were showing decreasing trend upon
storage. The comparative analysis of centisimal
composition of the produced sausages showed that
inclusion of chitosan gel had a significant effect
(p<0.05) on the keeping quality of the product when
compared with control and can be presumed as a
superior ready-to eat quality product.