Changes of TBARS, VBN and Pathogens on Vacuum Packed Pork during Storage after Aging with Korean Traditional Sauces

Sixteen semimembranous muscles were removed from sixteen left pig carcasses. They were cut into $7{\times}10{\times}2cm$ pieces and mixed randomly. Samples were assigned to four treatments: (T1) soy-based sauce; (T2) Kimchi-based sauce; (T3) pickled shrimp-based sauce; and (T4) onion-based sauce. Each sample was aged in a plastic box at $1^{\circ}C$ for 10 days, then vacuum packed and held at $1^{\circ}C$ for 28 days. The lightness and redness values of the aged pork were, in most cases, significantly increased on the surface and in the interior (p<0.05) by day 28 for all treatments, relative to day 1. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value significantly (p<0.05) increased for T1 and T4 from day 1 until day 14, but decreased after 14 days of storage (p<0.05). The TBARS value for T3 decreased with storage time (p<0.05), although there was no difference between 14 and 28 days. The total volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) content increased significantly with storage time (p<0.05) for all treatments, with the exception of T2. Total plate counts (TPC) increased significantly (p<0.05) with increasing storage time for all treatments. On day 1, T2 had the highest TPC value (p<0.05), while T4 was lowest (p<0.05). On 28 day, T2 had the lowest TPC value (p<0.05), while T3 was highest (p<0.05). E. coli levels showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease with increased storage for T1, T2 and T4. These results indicate that T2 was move effective at inhibiting the growth of E. coli than the other pork samples. The levels of Lactobacillus spp. increased with storage time for all samples. These results suggest that traditional Korean ingredients could be utilized to extend the shelf-life of aged pork during storage.