*3.3. Color*

Color is an important parameter for consumers to accept processed meat products. The effects of PO puree on the color traits of sausages are evaluated in Table 3. With the increase in PO content, lightness (*L\**) values of the sausages significantly (*p* < 0.05) increased. This could be explained by the higher lightness of the PO, which enhanced that of the sausages. For redness (*a\**), the decreasing trend may be due to the decrease in lean meat content, which contributed to the pink color of the sausage product. For the yellowness (*b\**) and color difference (Δ*E\**), there were no significant differences among all groups (*p* < 0.05).



a–e Means within the same row with different letters differed significantly among the treatments (*p* < 0.05). Values are given as mean ± standard deviations. Control, PO10, PO20, PO30, and PO40 were 0 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 20 wt.%, 30 wt.%, and 40 wt.% addition of PO puree, respectively.
