Effect of glycosylated nitrosohemoglobin on quality of cooked meat batters during chill storage

Abstract

Sodium nitrite is a key traditional meat-curing agent in meat industry. However, because of its carcinogenicity, the studies about nitrite substitutes have been focused on for many years. In this study, Glycosylated Nitrosohemoglobin (G-NO-Hb) solution synthesized by porcine blood, nitrite and sugar through maillard reaction was applied in cooked meat batters to replace for nitrite. Color difference, Thiobarbituric Acid-Reactive Substances (TBARS) and total Aerobic Plate Count (APC) were determined in order to evaluate the quality of meat batters. UV-Vis spectra analysis showed that the produced pigment through maillard reaction was G-NO-Hb. The a*-values of batters treated with G-NO-Hb showed a significant increase (p<0.05) compared to control sample and had no significant difference compared to that of nitrite treated samples (p>0.05), which indicated that the addition of G-NO-Hb contributed to the formation of red pigment in cooked meat batters. Also, both TBARS values and APC of meat batters treated with G-NO-Hb, especially those added with G-NO-Hb solution (6 g nitrite/kg reaction system) were significantly lower than the control samples (p<0.05). It revealed that G-NO-Hb was a potential nitrite substitute for coloring, antioxidation and antisepticise during meat curing. © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2013.