Quality Properties of Beef Jerky Replaced Salt with Soy Sauce, Red Pepper Paste and Soybean Paste during Storage

The aim of this study was to investigate the quality properties of beef jerky replaced salt with soy sauce, red pepper paste, and soybean paste. The quality properties of beef jerky including final water activity (a w), moisture content, pH, color, shear force, total plate counts, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values, and sensory evaluations were investigated. The sliced beef samples were marinated in salt (control), soy sauce (T1), red pepper paste (T2), and soybean paste (T3) for 24 h and then dried at 70oC for 6-8 h. The water activity of finished beef jerky varied from 0.72 to 0.70. The water activity for control and T1 samples decreased more rapidly as drying proceeded up to 6 h. The samples with salt replacement showed a lower pH and lightness than the control (p<0.05). The T1 sample showed a significant decrease in total plate counts after 21 d of storage (p<0.05). The TBARS for all treatments increased with storage days (p<0.05). The TBARS were significantly lower in T2 and T3 samples compared to control and T1 until 21 d of storage (p<0.05). The samples with salt replacement showed a lower intensity of saltiness than the control. Sensory evaluations found that the replaced soy sauce of beef jerky samples had better overall acceptability scores than the other treatment samples. It was concluded that replacing salt with soy sauce can delay lipid oxidation and enhance the sensory acceptance of beef jerkies. Key words: beef jerky, replaced salt, soy sauce, red pepper paste, soybean past