Fortification of low‐nitrite canned pork with willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium L.)

Abstract

Summary Nitrite is a multifunctional additive used for meat products. However, cancerogenic N‐nitrosoamines (NAs) can be formed from nitrite. For this reason, nitrite should be reduced or eliminated. This study aimed to (1) determine the phenolic content, composition, and in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of water lyophilized extracts of willow herb (WH); and (2) assess the effect of the extracts on lipid oxidation, colour, microbiological and chemical safety of canned pork with lower nitrite content during storage. For the preparation of extract, redistilled water at a temp. of 90°C (1:10) was used. The extracts were filtered and freeze‐dried for 72 h (−80°C, 0.04 mbar). Five different variants of product were tested in the study: control (with 100 mg kg−1 NaNO2) and herbal samples (with 50, 100, 150, and 1000 mg kg−1 WH). The samples were assessed for their colour, antioxidant capacity, lipid oxidation, pH, sensory characteristics, and the presence of N‐nitrosamines and pathogenic bacteria. Oenothein B was found as the predominating compound in the analysed extract (HPLC) followed by querceti‐3‐O‐rhamnoside and oenothein A, myricetin 3‐O‐glucoside. The addition of WH extract contributed to maintaining the typical, cured colour of canned meat as well as reducing the NaNO2 content. Furthermore, fortification with 150 mg kg−1 of Epilobium angustifolium L. extract allowed stabilising the antioxidant properties of canned meat during storage to a greater extent compared to 1000 mg kg−1 of extract.

Antibacterial and Antimycotic Activity of Epilobium angustifolium L. Extracts: A Review

“…The gathered literature also includes the assessment of antimicrobial activity of hydrogels containing fireweed extracts [57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73] and bactericides with silver nanoparticles [55]. Extracts were prepared from different parts of plants: roots [57,62], leaves [56,60,64,[74][75][76], flowering aerial parts [13,60,[68][69][70]73,76], flowers [60,64,72], aerial parts or herb [55,58,59,65,71], the whole plant [63], and seeds [61]. In some articles [66,67,74], the plant parts were not specified.…”

“…Water, ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, hexane, and dichloromethane were used as the solvents, but aqueous and ethanolic extracts were the most often tested. E. angustifolium extracts were prepared in different ways, e.g., using a shaker incubator and evaporator [72], by maceration of plant material with solvent and centrifugation [60], by evaporation and lyophilization [65], or by ultrasonication of infusion and lyophilization [56]. Phytochemical characterization of tested extracts was included in some articles [13,55,56,[67][68][69][70][71][73][74][75][76], but it was usually limited to the total content of polyphenols and/or the total content of flavonoids and tannins.…”

“…The biological activity of the essential oil of E. angustifolium has not been thoroughly studied, but antioxidant, antibacterial, and antimycotic properties have been documented [50][51][52]. Other groups of active metabolites such as alkaloids (angustifoline A), lignans, fatty acids (tricosanoic, nervonic, linoleic, palmitic, caprylic, caproic, butyric, and others), and sterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, cholesterol, and their derivatives) have also been identified [13,53,54] To date, E. angustifolium extracts have been tested in the treatment of BPH, in wound healing or as ingredients of cosmetic products, nano-bactericides [55], and as a food preservative [56]. Antimicrobial properties of fireweed have been studied since the beginning of this century, but in the last decade, the number of publications has increased significantly.…”

Effect of the Addition of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) on the Protein Profile, Antiradical Activity, and Microbiological Status of Raw-Ripening Pork Sausage

“…Nitrites and nitrates are involved in the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines [15], necessitating their limited use as preservatives [16]. In previous studies, we demonstrated the feasibility of producing a meat product with reduced nitrite content while fortifying it with a plant additive black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium L.) extract without compromising the quality and health safety of the product [17][18][19]. This study was aimed at investigating the potential for reducing oxidative changes in raw-ripening sausage by lowering nitrite addition from 150 to 80 mg/kg, without adversely affecting the oxidative stability and microbiological quality of the product.…”

Peptides as Potentially Anticarcinogenic Agent from Functional Canned Meat Product with Willow Extract

“…The strategy to halve sodium nitrate is an action to reduce its potentially carcinogenic nature. Eliminating sodium nitrate or reducing the recommended amount to half (from 100 mg/kg to 50 mg/kg) is associated with losses in the quality and safety of canned pork [ 7 ], but it turned out to be possible by fortifying low-nitrite canned meat with a lyophilized extract from willow herbs [ 8 ]. In addition, our previous studies [ 9 ] have shown that the addition of E. angustifolium extracts has an impact on the peptide profile and their various bioactivities.…”