Sausage is one of the most important and popular meat products throughout the world. Production of dry cured sausage is an important part of the meat industry. Its production process comprises blending the meat with curing ingredients, flavoring and coloring agents in order to accomplish an acceptable product with respect to sensory and technological properties.
Nitrite / nitrate is a key ingredient which is employed in meat products for curing. Nitrite plays the following roles: 1- It contributes the development of typical cured meat flavor, prevention of lipid oxidation and inhibition of rancid off-flavors. 2- It reacts with myoglobin to produce nitrosyl hemochrome which develops the particular pink color of meat products. 3- It inhibits …show more content…
In a complicated sequence of chemical changes, this process elevates the production of substances easily reacting with oxygen. Adding antioxidants could retard the formation of these highly reactive substances; yet, when lipid oxidation takes place, hemepigments (myoglobin and hemoglobin) are also oxidized in a coupled lipid-pigment reaction leading to a color alteration (Hernández-Hernández et al,. 2009). Several synthetic antioxidants such as BHT, BHA and TBHQ are used to prevent lipid oxidation. Nonetheless, their application has been restricted due to possible health risks and toxicity. In response to the consumer and industry growing concern for the production of healthier and safer products, many researches have been conducted about the substitution of herbal compounds, including natural preservatives such as phenolic compounds -owing to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties- for nitrite in meat products; for instance, application of Citrus fruits by-products (Fernández-López et al,. 2004), green tea (Bozkurt 2006), grape seed (Bozkurt 2006), Satureja montana L. essential oil (de Oliveira et al,. 2012), Rosmary and oregano (Hernández-Hernández et al,. 2009). Some new components, particularly by-products, which are rich sources of bioactive compounds, could be utilized as partial replacers
Nitrite / nitrate is a key ingredient which is employed in meat products for curing. Nitrite plays the following roles: 1- It contributes the development of typical cured meat flavor, prevention of lipid oxidation and inhibition of rancid off-flavors. 2- It reacts with myoglobin to produce nitrosyl hemochrome which develops the particular pink color of meat products. 3- It inhibits …show more content…
In a complicated sequence of chemical changes, this process elevates the production of substances easily reacting with oxygen. Adding antioxidants could retard the formation of these highly reactive substances; yet, when lipid oxidation takes place, hemepigments (myoglobin and hemoglobin) are also oxidized in a coupled lipid-pigment reaction leading to a color alteration (Hernández-Hernández et al,. 2009). Several synthetic antioxidants such as BHT, BHA and TBHQ are used to prevent lipid oxidation. Nonetheless, their application has been restricted due to possible health risks and toxicity. In response to the consumer and industry growing concern for the production of healthier and safer products, many researches have been conducted about the substitution of herbal compounds, including natural preservatives such as phenolic compounds -owing to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties- for nitrite in meat products; for instance, application of Citrus fruits by-products (Fernández-López et al,. 2004), green tea (Bozkurt 2006), grape seed (Bozkurt 2006), Satureja montana L. essential oil (de Oliveira et al,. 2012), Rosmary and oregano (Hernández-Hernández et al,. 2009). Some new components, particularly by-products, which are rich sources of bioactive compounds, could be utilized as partial replacers