Comparison of the Effect of Enhancing Dry Fermented Sausages with Salvia hispanica and Nigella sativa Seed on Selected Physicochemical Properties Related to Food Safety during Processing

Abstract

The aim of the study is to compare the effects of Salvia hispanica (Chia) seed and Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) seed in traditionally produced dry fermented sausages with reduced nitrites on the changes in physicochemical parameters (water content, pH, and water activity), thioarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), color parameters, the content of nitrosopigments, and microbial counts throughout the production process. At the end of the processing, the content of biogenic amines was also determined. Five samples were analyzed during the 30-day production process: the control sample, samples with 1% and 2% additions of chia seed, and samples with 1% and 2% additions of black cumin seed. It was indicated that the addition of chia or black cumin did not exert any effect on water content or water activity changes in fermented sausages. At the end of production, the samples were characterized by low water activity, in the range of 0.798–0.813. The sausages with chia seeds were characterized by the lowest pH due to the highest proliferation of lactic acid bacteria. TBARS values did not alter in both control and black cumin sausages throughout the experiment. Microbiological analysis showed that the addition of chia or black cumin seed enhances the proliferation of the lactic acid bacteria and caused a reduction in the number of Enterobacteriaceae in comparison to the control.

The Effect of Salvia hispanica and Nigella sativa Seed on the Volatile Profile and Sensory Parameters Related to Volatile Compounds of Dry Fermented Sausage

“…Moreover, aldehydes derived from the oxidation of linoleic acid-such as butanal, pentanal (pungent notes), and hexanal-achieved the highest values. These findings are consistent with the TBARs values reported in our previous study, where SCh 2% suffered more lipid degradation than the other batches (2.53 mg kg −1 ) [10]. Hexanal has been used as a marker of quality and oxidative stability in meat and meat products.…”

“…Rancid flavor was indicated by the panelists as the highest for the control sample and the sample with the addition of 1% chia seed. According to our previous study [10], incorporation of chia and black cumin seed did not affect lipid peroxidation of fermented sausages at the end of production and after 30 days of storage.…”

“…A greater amount of black cumin seeds resulted in an increased of this substance, which has a very characteristic vinegar odor (10,8061 vs. 14,797.66 AU ×10 3 g −1 for SBC 1% and SBC 2%, respectively). In our previous study, it was deduced that the addition of both chia and black cumin seeds promoted the growth of LAB [10].…”

“…As Salvia hispanica and Nigella sativa seeds offer human benefits beyond their nutritional value, they are suitable candidates for use in meat products. Our previous study on the effects of chia and black cumin seed in traditionally produced dry fermented sausages with reduced nitrites on the changes in physicochemical parameters related to food safety [10] indicated that this plant material can be used as a natural additive in the production of fermented sausages. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the effect of the mentioned seeds on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the fermented meat products.…”

“…Lipolysis and proteolysis are the main biochemical changes that occur during the ripening process. They are also implicated in the synthesis of compounds that affect the aroma, flavor, and taste [10]. Additionally, ingredients added during production can alter the volatile compounds in fermented sausage [18].…”