A wide variety and a large number (210) of European ripened,
dried sausages manufactured from plain horse, beef and (smoked)
turkey meats, together with a small portion of pork but without
nitrate/nitrite or any starter culture, were purchased from supermarkets
at random right upon production, and kept refrigerated at 4 °C.
Seventy sausages from each type with 200 g in weight, 26–36 mm
in diameter and 13–25 cm in length were sampled (in duplicate) by
0, 7, 4, 21 and 28 d of storage (i.e. covering their expected shelf
life). Samples (3 g each) were immediately homogenized and frozen
upon collection, and kept as such in packages where oxygen had been
excluded by back flushing with nitrogen, until analysis was in order
(usually within 48 h).