The joint effects of ultrasound and modified atmosphere packaging on the storage of sauced ducks

Due to the inferior shelf life of meat products without undergoing autoclaving treatment and the limitation of a single preservation technique, the joint effects of ultrasound and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the cold storage of sauced ducks at 4 °C were investigated in this study. The results showed that the growth rate of the total viable count and the deterioration of physicochemical parameters (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, pH, and total volatile basic nitrogen) in sauced duck meat could be inhibited by ultrasound (28 kHz, 450 W, 30 min) and MAP (30% CO2 and 70% N2), respectively. Moreover, the combined treatment of ultrasound and MAP was more effective in maintaining the physicochemical stability and extending the shelf life of sauced ducks to over 28 days. Using 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing, ultrasound and MAP significantly modified the microbial diversity of sauced ducks, to which the most susceptible bacterial species were Pseudomonas and Carnobacterium. The findings suggested that ultrasound in combination with MAP can effectively inhibit microbial growth and food deterioration, improving the shelf life of sauced ducks.