Heat‐Treated Sucuk in Natural Casings: A Source of Higher Fermentative and Oxidative Volatile Compounds?

OpenAlex · English

ABSTRACT The effect of the type of casing on the quality parameters of Turkish‐style sausages (sucuk) is quite unexplored. So, this study aims to compare the effects of using natural or collagen casings in the production of naturally fermented (traditional) or heat‐treated sucuks on physicochemical properties (moisture, acidity, pH, and color values) and volatile compounds (VCs). The VCs, extracted by a solid‐phase‐micro‐extraction technique, were analyzed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrophotometry (SPME‐GC‐MS). Natural casing yielded a final product with the lowest pH, highest lightness, and redness in the traditional method, and the highest moisture and browning index in the heat‐treated method. Regardless of casing type, the traditional method produced sucuks with lower moisture, pH, a *, and browning index values. Cumin aldehyde, methyl eugenol, γ‐terpinene, pinene, and eugenol were the most abundant VCs identified in sucuk. The type of casing did not alter the volatile profile of naturally fermented sucuk. However, in heat‐treated sucuk, natural casing resulted in a higher accumulation of aldehydes, acids, and ketones in the final product compared to collagen casing. It is highlighted that natural casing may not be suitable for heat‐treated sucuk due to the abundance of lipid oxidation products. Principal component analysis showed that VCs were useful in differentiating between production stages and casing types, particularly for heat‐treated sucuk. This study demonstrates the impact of casing type on the quality of Turkish‐style sucuk and provides a theoretical basis for casing selection in future industrial production.