Polyphenolic Herbal Extract of Cistus incanus as Natural Preservatives for Sausages Enriched with Natural Colors

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of polyphenolic extract of Cistus incanus, lycopene dye from tomatoes, and betanin dye from red beet on selected parameters of model meat products with reduced nitrate contents. The polyphenolic composition and activity of the C. incanus extract was analyzed, revealing the presence of elagotannins, flavanols, and glycosylated flavanols. We studied the effects of the extract and dyes as well as of mixtures of the extract and dyes on the growth of bacteria characteristic of the meat environment: E. coli, S. enterica, P. fragi, L. monocytogenes, B. thermosphacta, and L. sakei. We studied the effects of the extract and dyes on the lipid oxidation, color, and microbiological quality of pork sausages with reduced nitrate content over 28 days of storage. During storage, the amounts of malon dialdehyde reduced, which indicates that the extract and dyes exhibited antioxidant activity and slowed lipid oxidation in the sausages. An increase in red color was also observed in the sausages with natural additives, despite their decreased nitrate content. It was found that the C. incanus extract combined with coloring agents positively influenced the selected parameters of the analyzed pork sausages.