Comparative analysis of fermented sausages from purebred and crossbred Bamei pig: physicochemical properties, fatty acids, microbiota, and metabolites

The Bamei pig, an indigenous Chinese breed renowned for meat quality, remain poorly characterized for fermentation processing performance. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Pure Bamei Pigs and its binary, ternary crossbred pork on physicochemical properties, microbiota, and flavor of fermented sausages. Ternary sausages exhibited the best sensory scores, the lowest water activity (A_w) and the richest profiles of olefins and esters. Metabolomics analyses showed that the most significant metabolic differences among the three groups of sausages centered on lipid metabolism. The polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, especially linoleic acid, were significantly higher in crossbred pork sausages than in Pure Bamei sausages. Microbiota analysis identified <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Leuconostoc</i> were the core functional genera, was positively related to with fatty acid composition, ester alcohols, and terpenoids. Overall, ternary-cross Bamei pork is recommended as an optimal raw material for fermented Chinese sausages.