Effects of Addition of Tomato Powder on Colour, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Traits of Pork Jerky during Storage

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the addition of tomato powder [1.0% (T1), 1.5% (T2) and 2.0% (T3)] on pork loin jerky with aerobic package during storage at room temperature. The T3 sample showed lower (p<0.05) pH value and higher (p<0.05) water activity than the control during storage. Total plate counts of treated samples (>= 1.20 Log CFU/g) were significantly (p<0.05) lower than the control (1.46 Log CFU/g) during storage. With the increase of the tomato powder concentration the lightness (L*) of the jerky decreased, except at day 30 of storage, but the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) increased significantly (p<0.05) during storage. T3 had higher values for hardness and cohesiveness but lower for springiness, gumminess and chewiness than others at day 40 of storage. However, there were no significant differences in TBARS values among the samples during storage. In sensory properties, the color scores of T3 was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of control at day 40 of storage. These results suggested that 2.0% tomato powder could be used to improve the redness and extend the shelf-life of jerky with increasing water activity, providing the consumer with food containing natural colorant.