Evaluation the possibility of usage different vegetable flours as nitrite alternative in Turkish fermented sausage

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effects of the use of vegetable flours including high nitrate content as a nitrite alternative in Turkish fermented sausage on the product characteristics during 84 days at 4°C. It was detected that the use of beetroot flour in fermented sausage production led to an increase in the a* values of the samples and a decrease in the L* and b* values, while no significant changes in proximate composition, pH and texture properties. At the beginning and at the end of the storage, it was determined that the beetroot floor addition caused no significant difference in residual nitrite contents and TBARS values of the samples. The use of celery flour in fermented sausage production was significantly effective on L*, b* values and residual nitrite contents during the storage period of the samples, while no significant difference was found among the sample groups in terms of TBARS values and texture properties at the end of the storage. The addition of beetroot and celery flour at high levels caused the increase in the lactic acid bacteria count, besides that the sensory properties of all sample groups were detected at an acceptable level. Consequently, it was determined that it could be possible to reduce the amount of nitrite by using beetroot or celery flour in fermented sausage formulation by taking into consideration the properties examined in this study.