Sausage preservation

Sodium nitrite is used to fix the colors in preserved fish and meats. It is also important (along with sodium chloride) in controlling the bacterium Clostridium botulinumy which causes botulism. Lunch meats, hams, sausages, hot dogs, and bacon are usually preserved this way. 

Sodium nitrite is used as a preservative in processed meats, such as bacon, ham, and sausage. The nitrite ion, NO2U may enter the ground water in rural areas where manure is stored and be a serious health threat for infants. Draw a Lewis structure, and predict the shape of NO2X Indicate any resonance structures. 

Acceptability of food is dependent on a knowledge of its ingredients e.g. how pure is the drinking water or is there acrylamide in french fries or other fried food preparations, how much vitamin C, or li-carotene, or proline is there in juices, what preservatives are there in bread, sausages or other food preparations Alloys have to meet certain specifications to be used in tools, machinery or instraments. The price of platinum ores or used catalytic converters from cars depends on the platinum content. There are many more examples. This shows the importance of correct analytical results. 

Little or no loss of antimicrobial activity was further observed after fermentation of raw sausages containing streptomycin (6). However, smoking/scalding processes could cause a 32-45% reduction of the streptomycin activity (7). When semi- or fully preserved sausages were heated at 90-95 C for 1 h, the microbiological activity of the contained streptomycin exhibited a 50% reduction of the initial dose (8) however, some of the initial activity could be demonstrated in the juices exuded from the heated sausages even when the temperature was raised to 120-125 C. 

The stability of oxytetracycline in sausages can also depend on the particular procedure applied for their preparation. Thus, no loss of antimicrobial activity was observed during raw fermented sausage preparation (6), but oxytetracycline was completely inactivated in semi- and fully preserved sausages (7, 8). 

Detection and Estimation of Preservatives.—The antiseptics commonly tested for in meat are formaldehyde, formic acid, boric acid and fluorides. The analytical methods used for the detection of these and other antiseptics are given later (see Sausages). 

Analysis of meat extract has the same objects as that of fresh meat or sausages, namely, to determine the composition and nutrient value of the extracts and to detect adulterations and preservatives. With extracts of the Liebig type, determinations should always be made of the water, ash, potassium, fat and total nitrogen, while tests should be made for nitre and preservatives. Further, it is always useful to determine the various forms of combination of the nitrogen, especially the creatinine and the ammonia see 7, 8 and 9, below). In mixed extracts, besides determinations of the... 

Tests for Antiseptics.—These are carried out as for sausages (see p. 6). Particular attention is to be paid to the tests for boric acid, salicylic add, formaldehyde and sulphur dioxide, which are more likely than other preservatives to be present in meat extracts. 

Both nitrate and nitrite have been used extensively for the traditional preservation or curing of certain meats, for example bacon, hams and some sausages. The use of saltpetre (potassium nitrate) was known to the Sumerians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese more than one thousand years ago. The mechanism of this effect was not understood until 1891, when it was shown that the nitrate ion... 

Sausages Prepared meats Dairy (including ice cream and yoghurts) Cheese Flour Bread Cakes, pastries, biscuits and puddings Confectionery and snacks Breakfast cereals Condiments, savoury preserves and spreads Sweet preserves and spreads Teas, coffees... 

Traditionally used in the meat industry sausage casing and meat preservation eariy proposed in patents disclosures (Harvard and Harmony 1869) various pharmaceutical and other food industry applications ingredients micro-encapsulation, tablets and capsules (Gennadios et al. 1994)... 

Sauches, F.P., Rios, A., Valcarcel, M., Zanin, K.D., Caramao, E.B. Determination of nitrosamines in preserved sausages by solid-phase extraction-micellar electrokinetic chromatography. J. Chromatogr. A 985, 503-512 (2003)... 

SO2 (50-100 ppm) is added to expressed grape juice to control unwanted moulds, bacteria and yeasts depending upon the condition of the grapes. It is also used in treatment of soft-fruits in order to extend the time available for jam manufacture. Sausage and meat products are treated with SO2 to extend their shelf life under refrigerated conditions. Soft drinks may contain 10 ppm (Continental Europe) -70 ppm (UK), some of which may originate from preserved concentrated fruit juices. 

Microorganisms are, however, also used to produce and finish foodstuffs and to preserve them by fermentation (c.f. chapter 2.2 and 3.2.1.1.2). The production of high quality beer or wine would be inconceivable without yeasts. Cured sausages with their typical lactic acid starter cultures and sometimes with mould cultures on their surface also depend on microorganisms. 

Use Bacteriostat and preservative in meats, sausage casings, wines, etc. 

Use Food preservative, fungicide, mold control in sausage casings. 

Use To preserve vegetable oils, animal fats, spices, baked goods, nuts, pet foods, dressing oils, confections, cereals, sausage, cosmetics, and dehydrated potatoes. 

Choi, S.H. and Chin, K.B. 2003. Evaluation of sodium lactate as a replacement for conventional chemical preservatives in comminuted sausages inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. Meat Science 65 531-537. 

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