Dried plums offer natural antioxidant alternatives for sausages

Tag : Sausages
Formulation of pre-cooked pork sausages with a puree of dried plums were liked by consumers just as muchas sausages made with the synthetic antioxidant BHA and BHT, according to research published in this month's Journal of Food Science .

Moreover, the puree did not adversely affect the flavour profile ofthe sausages when used at a concentration of three per cent, reportresearchers from the University of Oriente in Venezuela and TexasA&M University.

Interest is growing in plant-derived food additives as replacementsto synthetic antioxidants like butylhydroxyanisole (BHA) andbutylhydroxytoluene (BHT) to slow down the oxidative deteriorationof food.

Indeed, according to Frost and Sullivan, the synthetic antioxidantmarket is in decline, while natural antioxidants, such as herbextracts (particularly rosemary), tocopherols (vitamin E) andascorbates (vitamin C) are growing, pushed by easier consumeracceptance and legal requirements for market access.

The new research, funded by the California Dried Plum Board and Texas AgriLife Research, suggests that purees of driedplum, or dried plum mixed with apple, may be used as foodingredients in ready-to-eat meat products, like pre-cooked porksausages, roast beef and ham.

Typically, the oxidative deterioration of meat and meat products iscaused by the degradation reactions of fats and pigments. Oxidationprocesses in food can lead to organoleptic deterioration in taste,colour and texture.

Sausage formulation

The researchers, led by Professor Jimmy Keeton from Texas A&M,prepared pork sausages using raw pork pate with no antioxidant(control), dried plum puree (three or six per cent), dried plum andapple puree (three or six per cent), or 0.02 per cent BHA/BHT.

The sausages were refrigerated, or cooked, vacuum packed andrefrigerated, or cooked, vacuum packed and frozen (minus 20 degreesCelsius).

Keeton and co-workers report that both levels of the dried plumwere as effective as the synthetic antioxidants in the cooked andrefrigerated and frozen sausages. Moreover, the higherconcentration was more effective than BHA/BHT for retarding lipidoxidation in the refrigerated meat.

Characteristics

The colour of the sausages was affected by the inclusion of theplum, with decreased redness observed with the six per centconcentration, and an increased yellowness for both dried plum anddried plum and apple puree at six per cent.

A panel of trained testers noted changes to the flavour of thesausages, with increases in sweetness, and decreases in saltinessand bitterness. A masking of cooked pork fat,
spicy/peppery, and sage flavours was also documented.

"Overall, pork sausage with three per cent dried plum puree ordried plum and apple puree was as acceptable to consumers as thecontrol or those patties with BHA/BHT," wrote the researchers.

"Inclusion of three per cent dried plum puree was effective as anatural antioxidant for suppressing lipid oxidation in precookedpork sausage patties," they concluded.

Healthy bonus

The use of such natural additives has the extra advantage of thehealth benefits associated with the extracts. Research fromOklahoma reported that the dried fruit has potential as afunctional food ingredient since results from a rat study reporteda potent effect on bone metabolism and prevention of thedeterioration in bone mass ( Bone , Dec. 2006, Vol. 39, pp. 1331-1342).

Source: Journal of Food Science
June 2008, Volume 73, Issue 5, Page H63-H71, doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2008.00744.x
"Antioxidant Properties of Dried Plum Ingredients in Raw andPrecooked Pork Sausage"
Authors: M.T. Nunez de Gonzalez, R.M. Boleman, R.K. Miller, J.T.Keeton, and K.S. Rhee