Effect Of Vegetable Extracts On Quality Attributes Of Dried Sliced Meat

Dried sliced meat is a famous Chinese traditional meat product. It is welcomed widely by consumers because of its special flavor and long history. Nitrate and nitrite are the common used additives in dried sliced meat processing, which are responsible for the development of cured color and flavor, serve as strong antioxidant to protect flavor, and act as strong antimicrobial. Nitrite, in high concentrations, is toxic to human. It also forms N-nitroso compound in cured meat which is shown to be carcinogenic. Nowadays, abuse of food additives is a well concerned issue among customers thus "Natural" and "Organic" food is largely accepted. Vegetable extract has got high concentration of nitrate, and can be used as nitrate and nitrite substitutes in meat processing. In this study, several kinds of vegetable extracts were used to cure pork slices and homogenate. Color was measured after curing and heating process to show their effect on color formation. Four vegetable were chosen to cure meat slices in dried sliced meat processing. Color, TBA, nitrite residue, sensory results and aerobic plate count were measured to evaluate their processing effects. Celery extracts was considered to be the best substitute for nitrite due to its significant effect on color and flavor of dried sliced meat product. Different amount of celery extracts were applied in dried sliced meat processing; color, TBA, sensory result and nitrite residue were measured at different times to evaluate the processing effect of varying levels of celery extract during storage time.1Study on color of pork slices and homogenate cured by vegetable extractsCelery, Chinese cabbage, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, leeks, watercress, and spinach extracts were used to cure pork slices and pork homogenate. Color was measured after three days of curing and after heating process. Color was measured within a week under such conditions to study the color sustainability. The result showed that, the cured color was not formed during curing process, and the pigment in vegetable extracts significantly affected the meat color. After heating process, the affect of vegetable pigment on meat color remarkably reduced. All vegetable treatments showed cured color formation in pork slices, and celery, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, leeks showed cured color formation in pork homogenate. During the one week storage time, all vegetable treatments exhibit better color stability than nitrite treatments.2Study on processing effects of vegetable extracts on dried sliced meat productsCelery, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, carrots were used as nitrite substitutes on dried sliced meat processing. Color, TBA, nitrite residue, sensory results and aerobic plate count were measured to evaluate the processing effects of vegetable extracts in comparison to nitrite treatment and control treatment. The result showed that cured color was formed in all vegetable treatments, however, none antioxidation and antibiotic effects were shown in any vegetable treatment or nitrite treatment. Celery treatment was welcomed by the sensory panel for its good color and flavor. Nitrite residue was significantly reduced in all vegetable treatments compare to nitrite treatment.3Study on stability of processing effects of different level of celery extracts on dried sliced meat processingDifferent level of celery extract (equivalent to250mg/kg,500mg/kg and750mg/kg nitrate) was used as nitrite substitute on dried sliced meat processing. Color, TBA, nitrite residue, and sensory results were measured during storage time to evaluate the stability of processing effects. Results showed that, all level of celery extract could form cured color in dried sliced meat product, and the stability of the cured meat was better than nitrite treatment. All celery treatments had better antioxidation effects than nitrite treatment. The dose of celery extract equivalent to250mg/kg nitrate used in dried sliced meat processing got the best antioxidation effect and its flavor was most welcomed by the sensory panel. Nitrite residue was significantly reduced by contrast to nitrite treatment during all storage time and there was no significant difference between different level of celery extracts added. In summary, the dose of celery extract equivalent to250mg/kg nitrate had the best processing effect on dried sliced meat products.