Effect of nitrite and citric acid on the bacterial count and sensory evaluation of the canned beef sausages

Abstract

The effects of nitrite and citric acid as preservatives on the quality and safety of the canned beef sausage were investigated after three months storage at room temperature (35�5�c). Two experiments were conducted in this study, the first was undertaken to determine the effect of nitrite as a preservative on total bacterial count of the canned sausages retorted at 107.2 �C (225)�F for 80 minutes, and at 115.5�C (240)�F for 40 minutes . The second one, which was based on the results of the first experiment, was conducted to determine the effects of the absence of nitrite on the canned sausage processed with meat treated by immersion in 1% citric acid before processing at (80 and 30 �C) for one minute and drained, then the product retorted at 107.2 �C for 80 minutes, The parameters included total bacterial count and sensory attributes (flavour, juiciness, tenderness and overall acceptability). The evaluation of the total bacterial count was done monthly and indicated that, there were no colonies of bacteria found in the samples evaluated even after three months of storage. The sensory evaluation, which was conducted twice; after canning, and after 3 months of storage in the second experiment , indicated that there were no significant differences among the treatments in colour, flavour, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability. However, it was noticed that, there was a slight decrease in flavour, colour, juiciness and the product became less tender and less acceptable by the panelists after 3 months of storage in comparison with that evaluated immediately after canning. On the other hand, Citric acid had no clear effect on the total bacterial count and sensory attributes, but caused slight decrease in the total bacterial count of the raw and cooked sausages compared to the control.