Sausages color deterioration mechanism and storage stabilization strategies: A review.

Ready-to-eat emulsified meat products, particularly vacuum-packed sausages, occupy a prominent niche in the meat market owing to their portability, flavor stability, and extended shelf life. Among their quality attributes, color plays an essential role in consumer acceptance and purchasing intent. Nevertheless, it is susceptible to discoloration and browning during shelf life, which can severely compromise their sensory quality and market competitiveness. This review systematically elucidates the main mechanisms of color deterioration in sausages with endogenous natural pigments and those with exogenous colorants. Key degradation pathways include nitrosomyoglobin photo-oxidation, photo/thermal degradation of exogenous colorants, and free-radical generation resulting from lipid oxidation. Several influencing factors and targeted preservation strategies are also discussed and presented. Four-pronged color stabilization framework is proposed including raw material control, process optimization, ingredient synergy, and packaging barrier design. Lastly, future trends such as microbial-based color stabilization, multi-factor coupling models, and whole-chain quality control are highlighted, offering references for researches and industrial applications.