Can supplemental nitrate in cured meats be used as a means of increasing residual and dietary nitrate and subsequent potential for physiological nitric oxide without affecting product properties?

Effect of Nitrite-Embedded Packaging Film on Growth of Listeria monocytogenes in Nitrite-free and Conventionally-cured Bologna Sausage

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen frequently associated with ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. Nitrite is a key antimicrobial additive that can offer some degree of protection against L. monocytogenes when included in meat product formulations. The objectives of this study were to determine the potential of nitrite-embedded film to affect the growth of L. monocytogenes following postthermal processing of conventionally-cured and nitrite-free bologna. Two bologna treatment formulations, a conventionally-cured control formulation (CON) and a nitrite-free formulation (UCC), were manufactured, packaged in conventional (CF) or nitrite-embedded (NEF) film, inoculated with 3.5 log CFU/cm2 of a cocktail of L. monocytogenes strains, and stored at 10 ± 1 °C. CON-NEF and UCC-NEF treatments had significantly slower (P < 0.05) growth of L. monocytogenes than CON-CF and UCC-CF, with populations in UCC-CF (which contained no nitrite) increasing by 3.4 logs after 10 d of storage in UCC-CF and 3.6 logs after 50 d in CON-CF (which had formulated nitrite only), while in the NEF-packaged samples, with or without formulated nitrite, they did not exceed the inoculum level until after day 40. Initial (day 0) residual nitrite was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the control formulation. Packaging in NEF, however, resulted in an increase of 27-28 ppm by day 3, regardless of formulation, after which it decreased rapidly. Results suggest NEF can be used as a post-lethality antimicrobial intervention in food safety intervention strategies, in both cured and uncured processed meat products.

Impact of nitrite-embedded packaging film on quality and sensory attributes of alternatively-cured and nitrite-free bologna

The objectives were to determine the effects of post-thermal processing nitrite-embedded film (NEF) packaging on the quality attributes of alternatively-cured (nitrite from celery juice powder (AC)) and nitrite-free bologna. Attributes evaluated included lipid oxidation, instrumental color, pigment concentration, and sensory properties such as cured meat flavor, aroma, and color. Three bologna formulations, each packaged with two packaging films were produced. A conventionally-cured control formulation (with nitrite from sodium nitrite; CON), a nitrite-free formulation (UCC), and an alternatively cured formulation (nitrite from cultured celery juice powder; AC) were packaged in conventional (CF) or nitrite-embedded (NEF) film. Instrumental a* values (measured during both light and dark storage at intervals of 7 or 14 days over 126 days of storage) and cured pigment concentration (measured at 14-day intervals over 84 days of storage) were significantly greater (P < 0.05) for the UCC-NEF treatment compared to its conventional film counterpart, UCC-CF. No significant differences (P > 0.05) for lipid oxidation (TBARS values) were observed with NEF. Trained sensory panelists, who evaluated samples at 14-day intervals over 70 days of storage, found significantly greater (P < 0.05) cured aroma, cured flavor, pink color and less off-flavor for uncured bologna packaged in NEF compared to conventional film. For the uncured bologna formulation, NEF packaging provided cured meat attributes comparable to the control formulation that included nitrite. This is the first time that cured aroma and flavor have been observed when nitrite from packaging film is added to a cooked meat product under anaerobic conditions.

Effects of vegetable powders as nitrite alternative in Italian dry fermented sausage

The aim of this work was to study the effects of reformulation of an Italian dry fermented sausage by replacing nitrite with celery or spinach powder alone or in combination with beet powder on some quality characteristics of the product. Five different sausage formulations were produced: i) Control negative (CN): no nitrate added; ii) Control positive (CP) 150 mg/kg potassium nitrate; Group with celery powder (GSe): 3 g/kg celery powder; iii) Group with celery powder and beet powder (GSeB): 3 g/kg of celery and beet powder, respectively; iv) Group with spinach powder and beet powder (GSpB): 3 g/kg of spinach and beet powder, respectively. There was no significant difference between the residual nitrite contents of the samples at the end of the storage period. From microbiological analysis no target pathogenic bacterium has been isolated and the lactic bacteria microflora showed a similar trend in all of the lots.

Suggested storage periods for CP, GSe and GSeB were over 60 days by taking into consideration the microbiology and sensory evaluation. Sensory evaluation scores of samples with celery powder, in fact, were comparable to those of CP during storage. The GSpB samples showed similar and higher values regarding the structural attributes, the related attribute to colour showed decidedly lower values due to a greenish coloration of the slice to the presence of spinach.

NMR-based metabolomics profiling of no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked) during processing

Variations in the taste quality of no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked) during processing were investigated using ¹ H-NMR and multivariate data analysis. The results showed that 21 metabolites were dominant during processing, which involved marinating, air-drying, fermentation, and baking, including amino acids, sugars, organic acids, nucleic acids and their derivatives, and alkaloids. The contents of isoleucine, leucine, valine, alanine, acetate, glutamate, succinate, glycine, sucrose, tyrosine, and phenylalanine increased continuously throughout the process. The lactate, creatine, carnosine, betaine, taurine, hypoxanthine, and AMP contents all significantly increased after baking; the inosine content significantly increased after fermentation and then decreased; the histamine content significantly increased after air-drying and then decreased; and the histidine content decreased. Each processing treatment promoted taste formation in no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked), especially baking. The baking point owned relatively higher levels of metabolites and sensory evaluation compared to other treatments. Sensory evaluation revealed that the ultimate taste of Chinese bacon (unsmoked) at the end of baking tended toward umami (glutamate), sweetness (AMP), and sourness (lactate). The first and second principal components explained 74.0% and 13.4% of the variables, respectively. These findings indicated the potential of NMR-based metabolomics for assessing the taste quality of no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked), which could contribute to a better understanding of taste compound changes in meat products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Nitrite is commonly used in Chinese bacon (unsmoked), but excessive intake is not good for human health. Nitrite has been replaced with nitrite substitutes to prepare no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked). The metabolites of no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked) were detected to determine the key treatment that contributes to the formation of taste during processing. This study determined the main taste components of no-added-nitrite Chinese bacon (unsmoked) and its formation process, which provides new insight into the production and characteristics of flavor in Chinese bacon (unsmoked).

The investigation of the use of beetroot powder in Turkish fermented beef sausage (sucuk) as nitrite alternative

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of reformulation of Turkish dry fermented beef sausage (sucuk) by replacing nitrite with beetroot powder (BP), which has high nitrate content, on some quality characteristics of the product during storage at 4 °C for 84 days. Four different sausage formulations were produced containing C:150 mg/kg sodium nitrite; BS1:100 mg/kg sodium nitrite and 0.12% BP; BS2:50 mg/kg sodium nitrite and 0.24% BP and BS3: 0.35% BP. The inclusion of BP increased a* value of samples and resulted in the protection of the desired red color during storage. There was no significant difference between the residual nitrite contents of the samples at the end of the storage period. The lactic acid bacteria count was highest in BS3. Suggested storage periods for BS2 and BS3 samples were 56 days by taking into consideration the TBARS value. Sensory evaluation scores of samples with BP were comparable to those of C during storage.