Six formulations of dry fermented sausages were produced in three replications with three initial fat levels (30% , 20% and 10%) and two levels (0 and 20%) of replacing pork backfat with olive oil. After 4 weeks of fermentation and ripening the fat content of the treatments with 30%, 20% and 10% fat level ranged from 38.86 to 43.60%, 25.56 to 26.86% and 19.01 to 20.14% respectively. Fat level affected (p<0.05) the weight losses, the chemical composition, the Gram -ve bacterial count, the lightness, the texture and the appearance of fermented sausages. Replacing 20% of pork backfat by olive oil affected (p<0.05) the lightness and yellowness of sausages. Fat-reduced sausages without olive oil and low-fat sausages with olive oil had the highest score for odour and taste. However, the appearance of fat-reduced sausages was just acceptable while that of low-fat sausages was unacceptable, because the surface was intensively wrinkled and case hardening was developed. Further research is needed to improve the appearance of these sausages.

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SummaryAn excessive intake of meat products, particularly dry fermented sausages, is not recommended from a healthy point of view, at least for some groups of population, due to their high level of sodium and animal fat. Many efforts of the meat industry are focussed on the development of new products with better nutritional properties than traditional ones. KCl, CaCl 2 , and/or calcium ascorbate, among others, have been assayed as partial substitutes of NaCl, obtaining products with acceptable sensory quality, supplying smaller amounts of sodium and being sometimes a significant source of potassium or calcium. In relation to fat, last researches are focused on the use of different types of fibres and vegetable oils as partial substitutes of pork backfat. The use of fibres results in low-fat and low energetic products. The use of vegetable oils results in products with healthier fatty acid profiles. Aspects related with improving sensory properties and control of oxidation process should be taken into account in future researches.2

Dry fermented sausages with a partial substitution of 15%, 20% and 25% of pork backfat by preemulsified soy oil were prepared. No differences were detected in the water, protein and fat content between control and modified sausages. Cholesterol amount scarcely decreased in the modified sausages (92.96mg/100g product in control sausages, 87.71mg/100g in sausages prepared with 25% of substitution). No increase in oxidation was detected through chemical or sensory analysis in modified sausages.Saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in control products were 37.83 and 45.78g/100g of total fatty acid, respectively, decreasing in the modified formulations, to 32.81 and 42.09g/100 of total fatty acid in the 25% replacement products, respectively. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased from 15.22 (control) to 23.96g/100g of total fatty acid (25% product) due to the significant increase in linoleic and α-linolenic acids when soy oil was added. In relation to texture profile analysis (TPA), hardness and springiness did not show significant differences among products. The instrumental measured colours were comparable with that of commercial products. Sensory evaluation of most of the modified sausages did not show significant differences with regard to the control.

High-and reduced-fat Greek fermented sausages were produced with 30% and 20% total fat in the initial formulation. The same products were manufactured with a partial replacement of pork backfat with 20% olive oil. The influence of the modification of the lipid fraction on the oxidation process was evaluated after 2 mo of storage. The reduction of fat increased thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values, total aldehydes, and typical lipid oxidation compounds (hexanal, 2-hexenal, 2-octenal). A significant decrease in oxidation was detected in batches containing olive oil, particularly in the sausages with the highest olive oil content. This addition decreased, in both fat level products, TBA values and hexanal, 2-hexenal, 2,4-hexadienal, benceneacetaldehyde, tt,2,4-nonadienal, and pentadecanal. The addition of olive oil significantly increased monounsaturated fatty acids content.