Academic Journal
Impact of sodium nitrite reduction on microbiological safety and quality of cooked-smoked traditional Portuguese sausage (Chourição).
| Τίτλος: | Impact of sodium nitrite reduction on microbiological safety and quality of cooked-smoked traditional Portuguese sausage (Chourição). |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Nunes MJM; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal., Pereira RC; Tecmeat - Centro de Competências do Agroalimentar para o Setor das Carnes, Av. de Tibães n.° 1199, 4770-568 São Cosme Vale, Portugal., Noronha L; Associação Colab4Food, Rua dos Lagidos, 4485-655 Vairão, Portugal., Cruz I; Primor - Charcutaria Prima, S. A., Avenida de Santiago de Gavião 1142, 4760-003 Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal., Monteiro MJP; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal., Ribas TCF; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal., Mesquita RBR; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal., Rangel AOSS; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal., Carvalho F; Primor - Charcutaria Prima, S. A., Avenida de Santiago de Gavião 1142, 4760-003 Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal., Teixeira P; Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: pcteixeira@ucp.pt. |
| Πηγή: | Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) [Food Res Int] 2026 Oct 31; Vol. 242 (Pt 1), pp. 119793. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 21. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Published on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology by Elsevier Applied Science Country of Publication: Canada NLM ID: 9210143 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7145 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09639969 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Food Res Int Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada : Published on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology by Elsevier Applied Science, c1992- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Meat Products*/microbiology , Meat Products*/analysis , Sodium Nitrite* , Food Microbiology* , Cooking* , Food Preservatives*, Listeria monocytogenes/drug effects ; Listeria monocytogenes/growth & development ; Portugal ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Animals ; Food Safety ; Food Contamination |
| Περίληψη: | Nitrite is a preservative widely used in cooked meat products; however, concerns have been raised regarding its potential to form carcinogenic nitrosamines. To mitigate these risks, regulatory agencies have progressively reduced the maximum permitted levels of nitrite in meat products, leading to lower consumer exposure to this compound. This study evaluated the impact of sodium nitrite reduction on the microbiological safety and quality of cooked-smoked traditional Portuguese sausage (Chourição) produced with different added nitrite levels (150, 80, 30-20, and 0 ppm) throughout storage. Uninoculated whole products were analysed every 10 days for 60 days. Total aerobic mesophilic counts and lactic acid bacteria remained below 5 log CFU/g, while Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus were below enumeration limits, and Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and sulphite-reducing Clostridium spores were not detected. Microbiological challenge tests were conducted to assess pathogen behaviour under recommended and temperature-abuse storage conditions. L. monocytogenes was inoculated on sliced products simulating post-lethality contamination and monitored for 35 days at 4 °C and 8 °C, while Clostridium sporogenes (PA3679) was inoculated into raw batter prior to heat treatment and monitored for 60 days at 4, 15, 20, and 30 °C. L. monocytogenes grew in all formulations under the tested conditions, indicating that nitrite did not prevent growth in sliced products. For C. sporogenes, nitrite-containing formulations inhibited outgrowth at 4-15 °C, whereas growth occurred at abuse temperatures, particularly in the no-nitrite formulation. Physicochemical parameters (colour, texture profile, pH, water activity, and residual nitrite) were evaluated at days 0, 30, and 60, and sensory impact was assessed by a difference-from-control test. Overall, the 80 ppm formulation maintained physicochemical and sensory attributes comparable to the standard product, supporting its technological feasibility while highlighting the need for strict post-lethality hygiene and cold-chain control to limit L. monocytogenes growth in sliced products. (Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: N.K., I.C. and F.C. are employees of the company Primor Charcutaria Prima – S.A.:, who provided raw materials. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Clostridium sporogenes; Food safety; Listeria monocytogenes; Microbiological challenge testing; Ready-to-eat meat products |
| Substance Nomenclature: | M0KG633D4F (Sodium Nitrite) 0 (Food Preservatives) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260821 Date Completed: 20260821 Latest Revision: 20260821 |
| Update Code: | 20260822 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119793 |
| PMID: | 42629030 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-7145 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119793 |