Abstract

Six mortadella treatments were prepared for studying the effect of olive leaf extract (OLE) at a level of 240 mg OLE/100 g meat as nitrite alternative on the color and sensory characteristics. These treatments were: control with the addition of 120 ppm sodium nitrite only, and the second one with the addition of 240 mg OLE/100 g meat but without the addition of sodium nitrite as a negative control, the other four treatments were combination of 240 mg OLE/100 g meat with 80, 60, 40 and 20 ppm sodium nitrite, respectively. All samples were stored at 5 °C for 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks.

There were no significance differences (P > 0.05) between all mortadella treatments regarding their proximate parameters. Hunter lightness (L), redness (a), and yellowness (b) color, and sensory attributes including the appearance, color, tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall acceptability showed that 80 and 60 ppm nitrite in combination with OLE at 240 mg/100 g meat had the best results in comparison with the other four treatments indicating an additive combined effect of the OLE with nitrite that enhanced mortadella characteristics.

These results revealed the ability to substitute 50% of the used nitrite in mortadella stored at 5 °C when using combinations of 60 ppm nitrite with 240 mg OLE/100 g meat.

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