Solubility and absorption rate of carbon dioxide into non-respiring foods. Part 3: Cooked meat products

The solubility and diffusion of carbon dioxide into cooked meat products (cooked ham and meat sausage with different pH-levels) was determined at different starting pressures and gas to product volume ratios by monitoring pressure changes over time in a closed chamber at constant temperatures (0, 4, and 8 °C). Good correlation of the CO₂ solubility between the packaging parameters (gas to product volume ratio and initial partial pressure) and the meat products water content was found. The solubility of CO₂ followed Henry’s law and the initial partial pressure of CO₂ influenced the solubility mostly. Only small variations in the diffusion constants and absorption rates were found within the experimental design. A pH difference of 0.5 in the two meat sausage types did not influence either solubility or diffusion significantly.