Non-emulsified sausages represent a wide group of processed meat products
with peculiar characteristics depending on the region of production. In general, they are
recognized as thick dough sausage products, stuffing and commercialized in a fresh
way, or submitted to smoking or cooking. The fresh non-emulsified sausages are a
highly perishable food that cannot be submitted a previous heat treatment before the
sale, once the consumer will bake it in the consumption moment. In this context, the
high hydrostatic pressure and irradiation are of great interest because only a slight
increase in the temperature was observed during the processing step, and can be
applied in the finally sealed packages, avoiding re-contamination. Furthermore, for
cooked non-emulsified products, the number of possibilities for alternative
technologies employment is greater. The high hydrostatic pressure and irradiation can
be applied for microbial reduction after cooking step already in the package, and the
alternative heating technologies such as ohmic heating, microwave, and radiofrequency
can be tested in order to replace the conventional cooking procedures
improving the microbiological safety. Thus, the use of emerging technologies
represents an interesting point of view in the processing of non-emulsified products,
justifying the proper attention of further studies.
Keywords: Electron-beam Irradiation, High hydrostatic pressure, Irradiation,
Microwave, Ohmic Heating, Radio-Frequency.
