## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Product Yield and pH  
Product yield is an important factor in the production of liver pate, as it affects both the quality and profitability of the product. It refers to the amount of final product obtained from a certain amount of batter. Egg whites have been claimed to have a positive effect on yield because they contain proteins that can help emulsify the fat in the meat batter and increase the water holding capacity of the final product [49; 50]. The percentage yield of liver pates showed no significant differences (\(p\geq\) 0.05) between treatments, as shown in Figure 1, with an average range of 83.91 \(\pm\) 0.55% to 84.99 \(\pm\) 0.65%. According to the literature, mild oxidation via plasma can improve the solubility, foaming, and emulsifying properties of proteins. However, excessive oxidation can result in a decrease in protein functionality [51]. The obtained results may suggest that the technological properties of egg whites were not adversely affected by the duration of plasma treatment used to produce nitrite ions. Additionally, [PERSON] et al. [13] demonstrated that direct infusion of nitrites into meat batter through cold plasma did not significantly influence cooking loss of the product.  
In the case of meat products, pH can also affect their texture, flavor, safety, and shelf life. The results concerning the pH of the analyzed liver pates are shown in Table 2. The average pH values observed in the above study, which ranged from 6.32 \(\pm\) 0.04 to 6.42 \(\pm\) 0.01, were consistent with typical pH values reported for this type of product [52; 53]. Although [PERSON] et al. [29] found that the pH values of the liver pates varied slightly depending on the dosage of sodium nitrite used, [PERSON] et al. [54] reported that mean pH values of pates, before and after display for 48 h, ranged from 6.56 \(\pm\) 0.04, regardless of the sodium nitrite dose. Our results also indicated that not only the quantity, but also the origin of  
Figure 1: The effect of plasma-treated egg whites on percentage yield of liver pátes (mean \(\pm\) SE); NC—negative control (liver pátes without a nitrite source); PC1—positive control (liver pátes with 60 ppm of sodium nitrite); PTEW1—liver pátes with plasma-treated egg white containing 40 ppm \(\text{NO}_{2}\)—; PC2—positive control (liver pátes with 120 ppm of sodium nitrite); PTEW2—liver pátes with plasma-treated egg white containing 80 ppm \(\text{NO}_{2}\)—; the mean values with different letters differ statistically significantly (\(p<\) 0.05).  
the nitrite, had no impact on the mean pH values among the analyzed treatments. This could be attributed to the strong buffering capacity of egg whites, whose pH remained stable even after plasma treatment. Additionally, [PERSON] et al. (2018) reported that the natural buffering capacity of meat batters treated with cold plasma resulted in slight fluctuations in their pH values. Considering the storage time, the pH values of liver pates stored for 7 days at 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C did not show any significant differences (\(p\geq 0.05\)). Similarly to our results, [PERSON] (2018) also found no significant differences in the mean pH values of pork liver pates stored under similar conditions for 4 days.