Effect of Searing Process on Quality Characteristics and Storage Stability of Sous-Vide Cooked Pork Patties

This study investigated the effects of searing process before sous-vide (SV) treatment on quality traits, visual attributes, palatability, and storage stability of SV cooked pork patties. Patties were seared on each side by pan-frying for 0 (control), 30 (S30), 60 (S60), 90 (S90), or 120 (S120) s in a stainless-steel pan, and all patties were then vacuum-packed and cooked under thermally controlled conditions at 75 °C for 2 h. Marked differences were observed in quality properties between the control and searing groups, and the S120 group exhibited greater brown surface color and cooking loss compared to the other groups (p < 0.001) due to the additional heating process. Patties from the S60 group showed greater appearance and tenderness acceptability scores compared to patties from the S30 and S120 groups (p < 0.001). On another note, the effects of searing on storage stability were somewhat limited, as they were measured by 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, volatile basic nitrogen, total aerobic bacterial count, and coliforms during 49 d of cold storage. Therefore, searing process before SV treatment can improve the visual attributes and palatability of cooked pork patties, and the optimum searing condition was for 60 s, without impairing the storage stability.