Materials and Methods
Sample preparation
vienna sausages were produced at a local manufacturing plant according to a standard formulation (von Holy et al. 1991a). After peeling and, before vacuum-packaging. the surfaces of half these sausages were sprayed at an average rate of 16 ml kg with an organic acid cocktail consistng of acetic (2%.v/v). ascorbic (0.1%, w/v), citric (0.25%.w/v) and lactic (0.8% w/v) acids dissolved in water. This cocktall was previously shown to improve the storage life of carcases after surface treatment (Osthold et al. 1986). Sausages were then packed, by hand. into vacuum bags of 162*250 mm. to a mass of 500 g perbag (8 sausages per layer) and sealed on a Multivac 7000 vacuum packer to a level of 88%. The packaging materlal (colpak, Cape Town, South Africa) consisted of a clear coextruded,