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Reduction of Drying Time for Pepperoni by Vacuum-drying
K.B. CHIN, J.T. KEETON, and R.E. LACEY
ABSTRACT
Commercial pepperoni was dried under vacuum (100 kPa) at three tem-
peratures (177, 197, and 227C) and matching controls were dried under
commercial conditions. Vacuum-dried pepperoni achieved a moisture:
protein (M:P) ratio of 1.6:1 after 9 to 12 days drying, compared to 18
days for the control. Overall drying time was reduced '30%. Among
temperature treatments, 177C treatment had more weight loss and darker
color (P , 0.05) than others. Weight loss and Kramer shear force were
higher (P , 0.05) for vacuum-dried pepperoni, whereas Hunter a and b
values tended to be higher for the control throughout the drying period.
Key Words: fermented, sausage, pepperoni, vacuum-drying, texture
INTRODUCTION
FERMENTED SAUSAGES, such as pepperoni, have long shelf-life
due to reduced water activity (aw), increased salt (NaCl) con-
centration and decreased pH. pH decline in most fermented
products manufactured in the U.S. is achieved through anaerobic
glycolysis of added sugar (glucose) to DL-lactic acid by an in-
oculum of homofermentative lactic acid bacteria. Reduction in
aw and pH (≤5.1–5.2) inhibit the growth of many spoilage mi-
croorganisms during ripening (Baldini et al., 1983). According
to Genigeorgis (1978), the major physical factors affected by
fermented sausage ripening are the development of desirable
meat color and flavor, and textural characteristics.
Application of new or existing technologies to shorten drying
time could be of great economic importance for production of
fermented dry sausages such as pepperoni. Lu and Townsend
(1973) shortened the drying period by incorporating freeze-dried
meat into the meat block of a dry sausage formulation. Town-
send et al. (1980) reported that fermented sausage drying time
could be reduced '40 to 50% with incorporation of pale, soft,
exudative (PSE) pork in the meat block. However, they noted
increased rancidity and undesirable textural characteristics when
PSE pork alone was used in the manufacture of fermented sau-
sage. Honkavaara (1988), however, reported that a meat block
consisting of 33.2% PSE pork, 36.5% beef, 26.6% back fat,
3.5% salt and 0.1% nitrite produced a fermented dry sausage
without quality defects.
In an effort to shorten drying time and increase efficiency of
pepperoni production, the application of vacuum during the dry-
ing phase of production may accelerate water evaporation from
the surface by increasing internal capillary flow. Our objectives
were to assess the effectiveness of vacuum to accelerate pep-
peroni drying using three temperature treatments and one vac-
uum (100 KPa) combination, and to determine the time required
to reach a moisture:protein (M:P) ratio of 1.6:1 using vacuum
drying vs pepperoni from the same lot dried to the same end-
point under commercial drying conditions. Chemical composi-
tion and physical properties of pepperoni under each treatment
regime were monitored at 3-day intervals over 18 days drying.
Authors Chin and Keeton are with the Dept. of Animal Science,
Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843-2471. Author Lacey
is with the Dept. of Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M Univ.,
College Station, TX 77843-2117.
142—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—Volume 61, No. 1, 1996
MATERIALS & METHODS
Preparation of pepperoni
Commercially prepared pepperoni sticks '50 mm in diameter were
manufactured from previously frozen beef and pork, salt, dextrose (pro-
prietory level), spices and sodium nitrite. Tempered (237 to 27C) meat
trimmings were coarse ground, combined with cure ingredients and
spices in a blender, innoculated with a high temperature (≤407C) starter
culture (Pediococcus sp., Diversitech, Inc. Alachua, FL) and reground
through a fine grinder plate. After vacuum stuffing into fibrous casings,
fermentation was performed in a climate controlled smokehouse at 407C,
85% relative humidity (RH) for 16 to 18 hr to an endpoint pH of 4.5 to
4.6. Proximate composition of the fermented undried pepperoni sticks is
recorded in Table 1.
FoodScience95 0805 Mp
Samples for vacuum treatment were removed from the fermentation
chamber, cut into 15–20 cm sections, clipped, bagged in plastic (to avoid
moisture loss) and shipped overnight to the Meat Science Laboratory at
Texas A&M Univ. Upon receipt, 12 sticks were placed into a laboratory
model vacuum chamber (Model 5851, National Appliance Co, OR and
Model 1410S, VWR Scientific Co, NJ), held at 177, 197 or 227C and the
vacuum adjusted to 100 KPa for a total drying period of 15 days. The
chambers were monitored on a daily basis and pepperoni samples were
removed at 3-day intervals (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days) to evaluate
chemical composition and physical properties until a final M:P ratio of
1.6:1 or less was achieved. Similar pepperoni sticks from the same man-
142
ufacturing lot (controls) and the same diameter as the vacuum-dried pep-
peroni, were dried under commercial conditions (207C, 65% RH,
moderate air flow, 18 days) and sampled at 3-day intervals for compar-
Sunday Feb 04 07:52 AM
ison with vacuum-dried samples. Three replications (different manufac-
turing lots) were performed.
Chemical and physical analyses
Weight loss of individual pepperoni sticks was determined at 3-day
intervals throughout drying. Moisture, fat and crude protein contents (%)
were analyzed according to AOAC (1990) procedures at day 0 and at
each sampling interval. Pepperoni (30g) was blended for 30 sec with
90mL dd-water at high speed in a Waring Blendor. pH values of each
stirred sample were determined in duplicate using a combination elec-
trode attached to a digital pH meter (Model 610, Orion Research Inc.,
Cambridge, MA).
Water activity (aw) values were evaluated every third day using a
Rotronic Hygroskop DT system (Model D2100) equipped with a sensor
(Model DMS 100 H, Huntington, NY) covering the range of 0.80 to
0.95 aw. Pepperoni samples were sliced 5 mm thick, placed in a dispos-
able sample cup (50 mm cm diameter and 10 mm deep) and inserted
into a metal holder. Water activity was measured by the electrolyte sen-
sor and based on electrical impedance difference of a hygroscopic liquid
substance or electrolyte. Calibration of the sensor was performed with
two standard solutions (Rotronic Humidity Standard 959304; 80% RH
and 95% RH) before use. Sliced pepperoni ('10g) was measured using
duplicate samples.
Diameters (mm) of pepperoni sticks were measured in triplicate at 3-
day intervals. After slicing to 5 mm sections, diameter measurements
were made using calipers at three different sites on each slice. All meas-
urements were performed in triplicate. Kramer shear measurements were
performed using an Instron Universal Testing Machine (Model 1011,
Instron Corp., Canton, MA) equipped with a multi-bladed Kramer shear
attachment. Ten shear measurements were made on individual pepperoni
slices using a 500 kg load cell with a 30 sec downstroke over a shear
load range of 100 kg. Pepperoni sticks were sliced 5 mm thick but varied
in diameter (50–42 mm) depending upon the stage of drying at which
the measurements were made. The shear force was calculated as kg
force/g-cm2 of surface area exposed to the shear blade (Acton and Dick,
1977).
Color values were determined with a Hunter Colorimeter and Color
Difference Meter fitted with an M head. The instrument was standardized
 Return to Journal Table of Contents

Table 1—Chemical composition means of pepperoni dried under vacuum (100 kPa) as compared to commercially processed controls

Days of Moisture, % Fat, % Protein, % M:P ratio

drying CTL VAC CTL VAC CTL VAC CTL VAC
0 Mean 45.3ax 44.8ax 35.0ex 35.3fx 14.2dx 13.9fx 3.24ax 3.22ax
SD 0.9 1.1 0.3 1.0 0.1 0.4 0.03 0.09
3 Mean 40.6bx 40.0bx 36.4ex 37.7ex 15.8cx 15.1ex 2.58bx 2.66bx
SD 0.1 1.0 0.4 0.8 1.3 0.3 0.21 0.13
6 Mean 38.3cx 35.6cy 38.6dy 40.9dx 17.0bcx 16.8dx 2.26cx 2.09cx
SD 0.7 1.6 0.7 0.8 1.2 0.2 0.20 0.09
9 Mean 35.1dx 32.3dy 41.2cy 43.0cx 17.4bx 17.6cx 2.01cdx 1.83dy
SD 0.8 1.6 0.4 0.8 1.2 0.2 0.10 0.10
12 Mean 32.4ex 29.3ey 42.4bcy 44.7bx 18.0abx 18.5bx 1.81dex 1.58ey
SD 0.3 1.4 0.4 0.8 1.1 0.7 0.12 0.06
15 Mean 30.2efx 26.8fy 44.2aby 45.9ax 18.6aby 20.0ax 1.70ex 1.38fy
SD 1.0 1.1 0.4 1.2 1.3 0.8 0.07 0.07
18 Mean 28.0f — 45.4a — 19.3a — 1.45f —
SD 0.2 — 0.3 — 0.4 — 0.02 —
a-f Means among drying days within a control or vacuum treatment having the same superscript are not significantly different (P . 0.05).
x,y Means between control and vacuum treatments having the same superscript are not significantly different (P . 0.05).
CTL: Control (Commercial Drying Conditions); VAC: Vacuum Drying.

Table 2—pH, water activity (aw), diameter (DIA) and shear force (SF) of pepperoni dried under vacuum (100 kPa) as compared to commercially processed
controls
Days of pH aw DIA (mm) SF (kg/g-cm2)
drying CTL VAC CTL VAC CTL VAC CTL VAC
0 Mean 4.54ax 4.58ax 0.94ax 0.94ax 50.0ax 50.0ax 0.15cx 0.18dx
SD 0.04 0.11 0.01 0.01 0 0 0.01 0.02
3 Mean 4.57ax 4.60ax 0.92abx 0.92bx 49.2ax 48.5by 0.17bcx 0.22dx
SD 0.06 0.06 0.00 0.01 0.2 0.4 0.00 0.04
6 Mean 4.60ax 4.57ax 0.91bcx 0.91cx 47.9bx 47.1cx 0.20by 0.27cx
SD 0.09 0.07 0.01 0.01 0.6 0.5 0.01 0.04
9 Mean 4.63ax 4.59ax 0.90cdx 0.90dx 47.4bx 46.1dy 0.26aby 0.30cx
SD 0.10 0.04 0.01 0.01 0.6 0.5 0.01 0.05
12 Mean 4.66ax 4.61ax 0.89dex 0.88ex 46.2cx 45.0ey 0.29ay 0.37bx
SD 0.07 0.05 0.02 0.01 1.2 0.5 0.03 0.06
15 Mean 4.64ax 4.59ax 0.88ex 0.86fy 45.9cdx 44.1fy 0.32ay 0.45ax
SD 0.09 0.04 0.01 0.01 1.3 0.4 0.04 0.06
18 Mean 4.63a — 0.87e — 45.2d — 0.34a —
SD 0.08 — 0.01 — 0.5 — 0.04 —
a-f Means among drying days within a control or vacuum treatment having the same superscript are not significantly different (P . 0.05).
x,y Means between control and vacuum treatments having the same superscript are not significantly different (P . 0.05).
CTL: Control (Commercial Drying Conditions); VAC: Vacuum Drying.

Table 3—Weight loss (%) of pepperoni dried at three temperatures under each temperature treatment. Data were analyzed using analysis of vari-
vacuum (100 kPa) as compared to commercially processed controls ance by the general linear model procedure (GLM) of Statistical Analysis
Days of Weight loss (%) System (SAS Institute, Inc., 1985). Treatments by replication and drying
drying CTL 17&C 19&C 22&C day by replication were used for error terms in the GLM analysis. When
0 Mean — — — —
treatment effects were significant (P , 0.05), mean separation was ac-
SD — — — — complished using the Student-Newman-Kuels procedure.
3 Mean 6.05fx 6.87ex 7.76ex 6.95ex
SD 0.10 1.17 1.31 0.56
6 Mean 9.00ey 13.76dx 12.86dx 12.32dx
SD 0.35 2.46 0.63 0.75
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
9 Mean 13.32dz 19.45cx 17.02cy 16.42cy BASED ON A PRELIMINARY STUDY, three temperatures (177, 197,
SD 0.62 2.10 0.71 0.62
12 Mean 15.88cz 23.22bx 20.78by 20.49by and 227C) in combination with vacuum (100 kPa) were selected
SD 0.53 1.93 0.41 0.84 to evaluate the effects of vacuum drying. Because no differences
15 Mean 19.05bz 26.17ax 23.81ay 23.56ay among temperature treatments were found (P . 0.05) for chem-
SD 0.86 1.49 0.20 0.76 ical composition, pH, water activity, diameter and shear force
18 Mean 21.83a — — —
SD 0.47 — — — values, means of all temperature treatments under vacuum were
a-f Means among days within drying temperature treatments having the same super- pooled.
script are not significantly different (P . 0.05). Percentages of moisture, fat, protein and the M:P ratio of
x-z Means among drying temperature treatments within days having the same super- fermented pepperoni over the 18 day drying period were com-
script are not significantly different (P . 0.05). pared (Table 1). On the initial day of drying, moisture mean
CTL: Control (Commercial Drying Conditions).
values were 44–45%, and decreased (P , 0.05) to 26–30% in
all treatments during 15 days drying. Differences in moisture
with a white plate (L 5 91.74, a 5 20.97, b 5 1.46) and results were between the control and vacuum drying treatment became ap-
expressed as Hunter L (whiteness), a (redness), and b (yellowness) values. parent (P , 0.05) after 6 days drying. However, no differences
in moisture were observed among temperature treatments. Mois-
ture of the vacuum-dried pepperoni samples ranged from 29 to
Statistical analysis 30% after 12 days drying to achieve a M:P ratio ≤1.6:1, the
maximum legal limit allowed for pepperoni. Acton and Dick
The statistical model was a randomized block split-plot design. Three
replications (three manufacturing lots) of three different temperature (1976) reported that the average moisture content of commercial
treatments under one vacuum level were randomly assigned to two vac- pepperoni was 28.5% (53.8%) which was similar to our results.
uum chambers. The whole plot was represented by three temperature As moisture content of pepperoni decreased, percentages of
treatments (177, 197 and 227C) and one control, whereas the subplot was fat and protein increased (P , 0.05) as expected (Table 1). Fat
represented by six different drying days (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days) of content of vacuum-dried pepperoni was higher than the control,

Volume 61, No. 1, 1996—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—143

 Return to Journal Table of Contents
VACUUM-DRIED PEPPERONI . . .

Table 4—Hunter color values of pepperoni dried at three temperatures under vacuum (100 kPa) as compared to commercially processed controls

Days of Hunter-L Hunter-a Hunter-b

drying CTL 17&C 19&C 22&C CTL 17&C 19&C 22&C CTL 17&C 19&C 22&C
0 Mean 44.7ay 46.7ax 44.9axy 46.1axy 23.1ax 22.4axy 21.5ay 21.3by 19.9ax 18.1ay 17.5ay 17.9ay
SD 0.6 0.4 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.0 0.3 1.2 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.1
3 Mean 44.2ax 45.2bx 44.0abx 45.2ax 23.2ax 22.0axy 21.3ay 21.8aby 18.9abx 17.2ay 17.1ay 17.5ay
SD 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.8 0.8 0.2 1.2 0.8 1.2 0.3 0.2 0.7
6 Mean 42.6abx 44.4bx 42.6bcx 42.9bx 23.6ax 22.6axy 21.6ay 22.3ay 18.3bx 17.2aby 16.9ay 17.3abxy
SD 1.7 1.1 0.6 1.9 1.7 0.5 0.5 0.3 2.2 0.6 0.4 0.9
9 Mean 41.5bcx 40.5cx 41.7cdx 42.2bx 23.6ax 22.5axy 21.6ay 22.4axy 17.9bcx 16.1bcy 16.5aby 16.6bcy
SD 1.9 1.4 0.3 1.2 1.4 0.8 0.1 0.5 2.4 0.9 0.2 0.4
12 Mean 39.8cdx 38.6cdx 39.7dx 39.0cx 23.8ax 22.0ay 21.9ay 22.5axy 17.3cdx 15.3cdy 15.7bcy 16.0cy
SD 2.2 0.5 1.7 2.0 2.0 0.3 1.0 0.2 2.3 0.1 0.7 0.5
15 Mean 38.7dx 36.7dy 37.2exy 38.1cxy 23.2ax 21.9ayz 21.6az 23.2axy 16.5dx 14.7dy 14.9cy 15.7cxy
SD 2.8 0.6 0.4 2.0 1.3 0.6 0.6 0.2 2.4 0.2 0.3 0.4
18 Mean 37.9d — — — 23.9a — — — 16.6d — — —
SD 2.8 — — — 1.7 — — — 2.8 — — —
a-f Means among days within drying temperature treatments having the same superscript are not significantly different (P . 0.05).
x-z Means among drying temperature treatments within days having the same superscript are not significantly different (P . 0.05).
CTL: Control (Commercial Drying Conditions).

as the M:P ratio reached ≤1.6:1 after 9 to 12 days drying. How-
ever, no differences in protein content were noted between con-
trol and vacuum dried samples. Acton and Dick (1976) reported
the average fat and protein content of pepperoni to be 43%
(53.7%) and 18% (51.6%), respectively. Results from their
study were similar to ours with 44–45% fat and 18–19% protein
at a M:P ratio of ≤1.6:1. Demeyer et al. (1974) and Genigeorgis
(1978) have shown that the amount of protein and fat in pep-
peroni is important and that they affect development of flavor
via proteolysis and lipolysis during drying.
A M:P ratio of ≤1.6:1 was achieved after 9 to 12 days vacuum
drying (Table 1) over a range of 177C to 227C. This is important
because it demonstrates that the drying time of pepperoni could
potentially be shortened from 18 days to 9 to 12 days with use
of vacuum (100 kPa). This represents a reduction in drying time
of '30%. M:P ratios of all treatments decreased (P , 0.05)
during drying due to loss of moisture and corresponding in-
creases in protein and fat (Table 1).
Initial pH of all pepperoni sticks ranged from 4.54 to 4.58
and did not change substantially during drying (Table 2). By
day 12 and at a M:P ratio ≤1.6:1, pH in vacuum dried pepperoni
was 4.61 (50.05) while the control was not different (P . 0.05)
statistically. These results were in agreement with Palumbo et
al. (1976) who reported a pH range of 4.7–4.9 with 50.1 pH
unit variation during drying. However, Wardlaw et al. (1973)
observed that the pH decreased (P , 0.05) during fermentation
and then increased by 0.1–0.2 pH unit during long term (60
days) drying due to appearance of basic nonprotein nitrogen
(NPN) compounds.
Water activity (aw) initially was 0.94 (50.01) for both treat-
ments and decreased (P , 0.05) to 0.88–0.89 after 12 days
vacuum drying (Table 2). There were no differences in aw be-
tween the control and vacuum treatments through 12 days dry-
ing, but after 15 days, vacuum-dried pepperoni samples had
lower (P , 0.05) aw than controls. Palumbo et al. (1976) re-
ported aw of commercial pepperoni to range from 0.80 to 0.87
depending on degree of drying. They also noted that aw in the
early drying stage did not change significantly, although the rate
of weight loss was faster.
Pepperoni diameters (mm) in all treatments decreased pro-
portionally with a decrease in moisture (Table 2). Initial diam-
eters of 50 mm were reduced to 46.2 mm for the control and
45.0 mm for vacuum-dried pepperoni when treatments reached
a ≤1.6:1 M:P ratio on day 12. Diameter differences (P , 0.05)
were apparent between the control and vacuum treatments be-
ginning at the third day of drying and continuing through day
15. However, diameters at a M:P ratio of 1.6:1 were almost
equal, 45.0 vs 45.2 mm.
Kramer shear force (kg/g-cm2) measurements (Table 2) in-
creased (P , 0.05) in all treatments as drying time increased
and were slightly higher for vacuum-dried samples. Differences
144—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—Volume 61, No. 1, 1996
(P , 0.05) between controls and vacuum treatments began to
appear after 6 days drying and were apparent on days 12 and
15 (Table 2). On day 12, the average shear force for all vacuum-
dried pepperoni was 0.37 kg/g-cm2, whereas the control was
0.29 kg/g-cm2. However, a comparison of vacuum-dried pep-
peroni on day 12 and the control on day 18 showed similar
values of 0.37 and 0.34 kg/g-cm2, respectively. Acton et al.
(1977) reported the shear force of commercial fermented sau-
sage dried for 30 days to be .1.0 kg/g-cm2, but the addition of
corn syrup softened the product. Differences in shear force val-
ues we observed, as compared to Acton et al. (1977), might be
due to differences in shear conditions, the thickness and diam-
eter of the samples, or the number of days dried.
Weight loss (%) of pepperoni sticks increased (P , 0.05)
during drying (Table 3) across all treatments as drying time
progressed. After 12 days, .20% of total weight was lost in all
vacuum treatments (Table 3), while the control weight loss was
only 16%. The rate of weight loss for vacuum treatments was
greater than that of the control after 6 days drying and tended
to decrease over the drying period (Table 3). Water activity,
however, decreased consistently over the drying period (Table
2). These results agree with Townsend et al. (1980) who con-
cluded that most of the moisture must be lost before changes in
aw could be discerned. The 177C treatment had more weight loss
than the other vacuum treatments after 9 drying days. After 6
days vacuum drying, all treatments had lost more weight than
the control and reached a ≤1.6:1 M:P ratio between 9 and 12
days. Weight loss to that endpoint appeared to be similar
whether dried under vacuum or by conventional means but vac-
uum drying was more rapid. Thus, weight loss, product diam-
eter, aw and Kramer shear force values of control pepperoni
samples taken after a normal 18 day drying cycle were com-
parable to those after 9 to 12 days vacuum drying.
Hunter L (whiteness) and b (yellowness) values decreased (P
, 0.05) in all treatments as drying time progressed (Table 4),
but generally Hunter a (redness) values were not different except
for the initial 227C treatment (day 0) and day 15. Pepperoni
dried under vacuum and by the traditional method had similar
Hunter L values across temperature treatments throughout dry-
ing (Table 4). However, the control in many cases had higher
(P , 0.05) Hunter a values on a specific drying day than the
vacuum treatments. Control Hunter b values were higher than
vacuum treatments throughout drying which may be partially
due to higher initial Hunter b values. Townsend et al. (1980)
reported an increase in Hunter a values for fermented sausage
during fermentation, whereas no differences were noted during
drying. Our results confirmed the observation of Townsend et
al. (1980) and noted that control Hunter b values were higher
(P , 0.05) than those of vacuum-dried samples. Thus, vacuum-
dried pepperoni did not differ in whiteness from the control but
tended to be less red and yellow.
—Continued on page 148

BEEF QUALITY BY IMAGE PROCESSING. . .
component did not affect judges’ scoring and therefore must be
the least important color component. Standard deviations of R,
G, and B were not significant (P . 0.05), probably because of
limited ranges of variation in these parameters. These data con-
firmed the complexity of defining fresh meat color in an RGB
format (AMSA, 1991).
Sensory panel marbling scores were regressed against differ-
ent combinations of marbling features. When global marbling
area density, Da, was used as the independent variable, the re-
sulting R2 was 0.69 compared to 0.47 reported by McDonald
and Chen (1992) on the basis of marbling area. This improve-
ment was probably due to improved segmentation resulting from
the use of color images. Regression of sensory marbling scores
against count density, Dc, was slightly better (R2 5 0.70). How-
ever, an R2 of 0.69 or 0.70 is not considered adequate and shows
that marbling scores were not satisfactorily predicted using ei-
ther marbling area or number of flecks per unit area alone.
Regression of sensory marbling scores against all computed
marbling features through backward elimination revealed sev-
eral important features (Table 2). The fact that the mean red was
significant in predicting marbling suggested that judges were
influenced by the lean color. In a commercial setting, beef car-
casses are normally ribbed to expose the LD muscle well in
advance (30–60 min) of the USDA grader. During this period
of time, oxygen permeates the muscle tissue and changes the
major muscle pigment from deoxymyoglobin (dark purplish red)
to the more normal appearing oxymyoglobin (bright cherry red).
This common practice confirms the impact that color has on
sensory evaluation of marbling scores and is consistent with our
data.
Both the count and area densities of small marbling flecks
(Dc1 and Da1) influenced sensory grading as expected. Although
our sensory panel was instructed to weigh large and small mar-
bling flecks evenly, the significance of area density for large
flecks (Da3) suggested that the presence of a few large marbling
flecks strongly affected sensory scoring. Likewise, global mar-
bling area density (Da) was significantly related to ultimate mar-
bling score. These data suggested that the panel was unable to
discern thoroughly between differences in marbling fleck size
and abundance. This confirmed our initial assumptions that hu-
man evaluation of meat quality, in particular marbling score, is
imprecise. Instinctively, panelists perceive marbling score as re-
lated to overall abundance of marbling even though the USDA
grading standards mandate that each marbling fleck be consid-
ered equal regardless of size (USDA, 1989). Although this sen-
sory panel did not receive as much training as individuals
VACUUM-DRIED PEPPERONI. . .From page 144
CONCLUSIONS
PEPPERONI SAMPLES dried under vacuum achieved a M:P ratio
of ≤1.6:1 after 9 to 12 days drying which was comparable to
18 days conventional drying. This represented reduction in dry-
ing time of '30% compared to a commercial process without
noticeable quality defects. There were no differences (P . 0.05)
among temperature treatments of 177, 197 and 227C for most
parameters except weight loss and Hunter L and a values. Fur-
ther testing with a pilot plant scale vacuum chamber appears
warranted.
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sage. J. Food Sci. 41: 971–972.
Acton, J.C. and Dick, R.L. 1977. Cured color development during fermented
sausage processing. J. Food Sci. 42: 895–897.
Acton, J.C., Dick, R.L., and Norris, E.L. 1977. Utilization of various carbo-
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AOAC. 1990. Official Methods of Analysis, 15th ed. Association of Official
Analytical Chemists. Washington, DC.
148—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE—Volume 61, No. 1, 1996
Return to Journal Table of Contents
employed by the USDA grading service, these data confirmed
potential problems associated with visual evaluation of marbling
scores.
Image features relating to the spatial variation of marbling
were not significant in the regression. This confirmed the report
of McDonald and Chen (1992) that information on the spatial
distribution of marbling was no more valuable in predicting
marbling scores than surface fat area. Our results further sub-
stantiated the claim that uniform sensory evaluations of mar-
bling scores are difficult because they are subjective and biased
by visual deception of the total amount of marbling (USDA,
1989).
CONCLUSIONS
IMAGE PROCESSING FEATURES accurately predicted the color (R2
5 0.86) and marbling scores (R2 5 0.84) of beef steaks that
were taken at the 12th and 13th rib where beef quality grades
were determined in an ‘‘on-line’’ commercial setting. Use of
this technology could greatly improve quality control of beef
production in packing plants. Developing an automated system
to detect such quality attributes could have a strong impact on
food processing industries.
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This paper is a contribution from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Journal
series number 12,287.
We thank Dr. Don Nauman for invaluable experience and suggestions, our ten panelists for
determination and time, and Rockville Meat Co. for generous support. This research was
supported in part by funds from the Missouri Beef Industry Council and was presented in
part or whole at the American Society of Animal Sciences meeting in Orlando, FL.
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