Quality characteristics of low-fat chicken sausages formulated with whey protein isolate and guar gum at different storage conditions

We aimed to explore the physiochemical and microbiological attributes of cooked chicken sausages, incorporating sesame seeds, whey protein isolate (WPI), and guar gum (GG) as non-meat replacers. Both control and sausage samples were subjected to storage under refrigeration (4°C ±1°C) and frozen (−8°C ±1°C) conditions. The pH values of the chicken sausages exhibited a significant upward trend (p < .05) under both refrigeration and frozen storage conditions. The formulated sausages exhibited elevated average cooking losses of 13.26% (p < .05). Importantly, peroxide values remained below the acceptable threshold for oily food. Furthermore, the inclusion of WPI and GG in the sausages led to a lower average water activity value of 0.55 Aw (p < .05) under frozen conditions than the water activity of 0.90 Aw (p < .05) under refrigerated conditions. The total viable count was not significantly affected (p > .05) by the addition of WPI and GG under freezer conditions. Consequently, it can be inferred that the cooked chicken sausages can be safely stored under frozen conditions for a duration of 60 days.