Abstract
An increasing concern about the usage of chemical additives in meat products has resulted in the use of natural ingredients instead of chemical additives in meat products. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of incubation period on the physicochemical characteristics of meat products cured with spinach and starter culture containing Staphylococcus carnosus. The pH, color, TBARS lipid oxidation, volatile basic nitrogen, residual nitrite content, and microbial number in cured pork loin were determined by incubating it with spinach and starter culture for the following durations: 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 h. The pH and TBARS values of cured pork loin incubated with spinach and starter culture decreased in a time-dependent manner. An increase in the incubation time from 3 to 48 h resulted in a significant increase in the redness and volatile basic nitrogen content. The residual nitrite content was observed to be maximum in samples from the I48 group followed by the control (+), preconverted nitrite group, and I24 groups. Thus, we found that incubation with spinach and starter culture for 24 h yields a good-quality cooked sliced cured pork loin.
Highlights
Cured meat products are primarily manufactured by curing meat with salts, plant or plant extracts, and nitrites [1, 2]. e color of cured meat and meat products is the most important factor that determines the consumer’s choice for purchasing meat products [3]
An additive widely used for curing meat products, mainly in Europe, is implicated in several functions, including color formation [4]. us, sodium nitrite content in cured meat products should be adequately monitored
The use of synthetic nitrite in meat products is controversial owing to the carcinogenic potency of nitrosamines that are formed from nitrites and amines [7]
Summary
Cured meat products are primarily manufactured by curing meat with salts, plant or plant extracts, and nitrites [1, 2]. e color of cured meat and meat products is the most important factor that determines the consumer’s choice for purchasing meat products [3]. Hwang et al [11] reported that current food culture trend for natural food materials has a profound e ect on the meat industry, and that addition of synthetic nitrite during processing of meat and meat products is a major health concern. Previous studies have reported that alternative natural sources of nitrite are considered healthy by the consumers and they have recently been studied for their use in the meat-processing industries [12]. These studies were just focused on a minced meat or fermented sausage
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