Abstract: ε-Polylysine (ε-PL) treatment was used to keep chilled pork fresh, and the change of total viable count (TVC) in fresh pork treated under different conditions of ε-PL concentration, accessory reagent type and soaking time during storage at 4 ℃ in order to optimize the three treatment conditions. Along with this, the effect of optimized ε-PL treatment on the sensory, microbiological and physiochemical properties of chilled pork were investigated. Treatment with 400 mg/L ε-PL alone markedly inhibited the decline in sensory quality, the growth of microorganisms, the increase of pH and the accumulation of total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N). Better fresh-keeping effect was observed when ε-PL and acetic acid were used together, especially more significant inhibitory effect on microbial growth. The combined antimicrobial effects of ε-PL and acetic acid were largely affected by soaking time in a positive way. Collectively considering antimicrobial effect as well as treatment cost and efficiency, the optimal ε-PL concentration, accessory reagent type and soaking time were 400 mg/L, 02% acetic acid and 5 min. The optimized ε-PL treatment increased the shelf life of chilled pork from 2 to 8 d. These results demonstrate that ε-PL will have extensive application prospects as a biological fresh-keeping agent for chilled pork.

Key words: ε-polylysine, Chilled Pork, Preservation