Effects of various foods and food-additives on the evolution of offensive odor during storage of porcine small intestine

Effects of added foodstuffs and chemicals on the evolution of offensive odor during storage of porcine small intestine at 20°C were studied. The effects were evaluated in terms of sensory scores, total bacterial counts, and amounts of evolved volatiles. Among the additives found most effective in terms of sensory score in suppressing offensive odor development were onion, perilla, miso, a blend of ginger and soy sauce, green tea, sage, thyme, clove, allspice, chervil and lemonbalm. A blend of ginger and soy sauce, green tea and clove inhibited microbial growth during storage. However, no consistent relationship was detected among sensory scores, total bacterial counts and amounts of evolved volatiles. This inconsistency may be due to the fact that the action of the tested additives may not be restricted to a single one, but to diverse combinations including preservative, antioxidant, odor-masking or adsorption or incentive effects. Chemicals known to be antioxidants, chelators and sterilizers, such as BHA, EDTA, mercuric chloride and phenol, retarded the evolution of offensive odor and bacterial growth. The amounts of volatiles evolved, especially those of sulfur compounds and alcohols, paralleled the total counts of bacteria and also the sensory scores. Thus it appears that the evolution of the offensive odor during storage of porcine small intestine is largely attributable to microbial growth and the concomitant production of odor volatiles, especially sulfur compounds and alcohols.