Investigation of Innovative Applications for Salted Duck Egg By-Product (Liquid Albumen): Substitution in the Process of Pickled Pork Casings, Evaluating the Physicochemical Properties, Aroma Composition, and Sensory Evaluation via Chinese Sausage Manufacturing

This study utilized the high salt concentrations of salted duck egg by-product (liquid albumen; LA) to develop an improved traditional pickling process for hog casing (HC). Specifically, this study investigated the feasibility of substituting salt brine with LA at varying concentrations and different pickling periods. In addition, physicochemical properties, textural profile analysis (TPA), aroma analysis, and sensory evaluation were performed on the post-production sausages to assess the recycling value of LA. This study showed that there were no significant differences among all groups compared to the control group in terms of the proximate compositions, apparent color, and aroma component profiles of the sausages. However, HC pickled in 50% LA for 7 days exhibited excellent sausage hardness, cohesiveness, and elasticity performance. It also received the highest scores for mouthfeel, aroma, and overall preference, indicating it was a suitable concentration for brine substitution. According to the findings of this study, the application of LA to substitute traditional brine in pickling HC showed potential for improving the texture and sensory properties of sausage products, which contributed to the accomplishment of the circular bioeconomy. The limitation of this study was that the HC pickling conditions (concentration and duration) required deeper optimization to facilitate subsequent large-scale production and application.