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The purpose of this paper is to determine the influences of fat content and storage temperature on the quality of frozen pork patties during storage to evaluate the shelf life set by the manufacturer.

Changes in moisture content, acid value, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid value, total volatile basic nitrogen content, and the sensory score of frozen pork patties with 10 and 15 percent fat contents during storage at −5, −15, and −23°C for six months.

Although microbiological quality remained unchanged, moisture content decreased, and lipid rancidity and protein putrefaction increased significantly during storage. More rapid deterioration in quality was observed in patties stored at −5°C than those stored at lower temperatures. Lipid rancidity and protein putrefaction increased more rapidly (but not significantly) in patties with 15 percent fat than those with 10 percent fat. Overall acceptance of the sensory properties was closely correlated with the above quality indicators, except thiobarbituric acid value. Acceptable qualities of the samples were maintained for the first two, four, and six months under storage at −5, −15, and −23°C, respectively.

The current shelf life of frozen pork patties set by manufacturers, assuming a storage temperature of −18°C, needs to be readjusted considering practical storage temperatures.

No studies have comprehensively explored the effects of fat content and storage temperatures on the quality of ground meat products during frozen storage. These approaches to determine quality changes may be useful for manufacturers to predict and control the quality of their products.