Abstract: In the present study, the effect of increasing amount of added water was investigated on quality characteristics of emulsified sausages prepared by adding carrageenan, konjac or flaxseed gum at a level of 0.6% such as texture, color, water-holding capacity and sensory evaluation. As the amount of added water was increased from 65% to 80%, emulsified sausages showed a gradual decrease in hardness and a gradual increase in springiness. The texture of emulsified sausages with added edible gum was significantly better than that of controls (P ＜ 0.05). The addition of edible gum had no negative effect on the redness (a*) of emulsified sausages, but increasing water addition resulted in a gradual decrease in a*. Furthermore, the presence of edible gum significantly increased the water-holding capacity of emulsified sausages (P ＜ 0.05). The sensory evaluation indicated that samples with the addition of edible gum had good overall acceptance. Therefore, the three edible gums investigated in this study may be considered as good additives for emulsified sausages, especially konjac and flaxseed gum, which can remarkably improve the quality of emulsified sausages.

Key words: emulsified sausage, amount of water, edible gums, quality