MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE FAT PHASE TOPOLOGY IN DRY SAUSAGES

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide a quantitative morphometric assessment of the spatial organization of the fat phase in dry sausages based on digital analysis of their cross-sections, as well as to establish the relationship between the topology of fat inclusions and the potential features of moisture mass transfer during drying. The objects of the study were dry sausages available on the consumer market of Ukraine. Each sausage was sliced into cross-sections at fixed intervals, followed by image acquisition under standardized conditions. Digital image processing was performed using ImageJ software with fat phase segmentation algorithms. Based on binarized images, the area fraction of fat, the mean equivalent diameter of inclusions, shape factors, radial distribution of the fat phase, and variability of parameters along the sausage length were determined. For the first time, an approach to the quantitative morphometric description of fat phase topology in dry sausages is proposed as an independent structural parameter that is not reducible to the average fat content. The relevance of using morphometric indicators (area fraction, inclusion geometry, radial profile, and variability) for the engineering interpretation of the internal structure of the product is substantiated. It is demonstrated that the spatial arrangement of the fat phase determines the configuration of diffusion pathways and can be considered as a factor influencing the tortuosity of mass transfer. Thus, the sausage structure is interpreted as an element of “internal transport architecture”. It was established that the studied dry sausage samples differ significantly not only in total fat content but also in the spatial organization of the fat phase, inclusion geometry, and degree of heterogeneity. It is shown that even at similar values of fat area fraction, fundamentally different topological structures may occur, potentially forming different mass transfer conditions. A promising direction is the use of morphometric characteristics as input parameters for drying process modeling and for the development of technologies with controlled internal transport architecture.