Abstract：In this study, nine cured meat products were selected to study changes, influencing factors and generation pathways of free fatty acids during storage by determining the total amount of free fatty acids under different conditions including the ratio of fat to muscle, producers, temperature and lipase activity, and determining lipase activity, phospholipase activity and fatty acid composition. The results showed that under the same conditions, pure-lean sausages, sausages with fat/lean ratio = 3:7, and sausages with fat/lean ratio = 4:6 contained decreasing amounts of free fatty acids. Sausages from different producers showed a significant difference in the contents of free fatty acids. Samples stored at 37 ℃ were significantly richer in free fatty acids than those stored at 25 ℃. The increments in free fatty acids could be reduced by enzymatic inactivation and the difference tended to be enhanced. Lipase played an important role in the generation of free fatty acids in cured meat products during storage. As the enzymatic reactions proceeded during the early stages, free fatty acids were produced continuously. In fact, fat hydrolysis played a dominant role in the process. Nevertheless, the unsaturated fatty acids were unstable and could be easily oxidized during the later stages of storage and this process was dominated by fat oxidation.
2014, Vol. 28 
