Potencial dos pós de beterraba (Beta vulgaris L.) e rúcula (Eruca sativa L.) como substitutos ao nitrito de sódio na cura do salame tipo italiano

Abstract

Sodium nitrite (NaNO2) is one of the main curing agents used in the meat industry, being responsible for the development of unique sensory attributes, microbiological safety and maintenance of the quality of cured products. However, the use of NaNO2 in curing meat has been associated with the formation of N-nitroso compounds, which can trigger abnormalities and cellular stress, causing harm to health. Beets and arugula have high concentrations of nitrate that can be converted to nitrite in the presence of nitrate-reducing microorganisms. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the effect of using beetroot powder and/or arugula as an alternative source of nitrate and nitrite in Italian salami, evaluating the effects of this substitution during the product processing period (beginning, after fermentation and after maturation). The experiment was conducted in two phases: in the first stage, beet powders (B100%), arugula (R100%) and their mixture (RB50%) were obtained and characterized. In the second stage, 4 salami treatments were prepared: CT (control added with NaNO2 e NaNO3), BT (added with B100%), RT (added with R100%) and RB (added with RB50%). At each processing stage, chemical and physical parameters, lipid oxidation and curing properties were evaluated. Additionally, an SDSPAGE electrophoresis analysis was performed to evaluate the proteolysis of salami at the beginning and end of processing. Nitrate concentrations were highest in B100%, followed by RB50% and R100%. For salami, samples CT, BT, RT and RB achieved 35% weight loss at 45, 36, 36 and 30 days, respectively, causing water activity to reach values less than or equal to 0.90 at the end. Of maturation. As expected, there was a decrease in pH for all treatments and the samples added with arugula powder tended towards a greener color. The lowest levels of residual nitrite were observed in CT and RB salami (< 0,9 mg/kg). The curing efficiency (EC) of all samples was higher at the end of fermentation (≥ 30%). All treatments presented final TBARS values below 0.6 MDA/kg (P<0.01). In the electrophoresis analysis, protein bands with weights between 15 and 220 KDa were observed, with a decrease in intensity and the appearance of new bands between the beginning and end of processing, indicative of proteolysis. The analysis of main components allowed a better visualization of the correlation of the analyzed attributes with the treatments, observing a clear separation of the samples depending on the processing stage and type of powder. At the end of processing, it was possible to notice that all samples prepared presented a chemical composition in accordance with the requirements of Brazilian legislation for Italian-style salami. Based on the results, the use of beetroot powder, alone or combined with arugula, shows promising results as a substitute for NaNO₂ and NaNO₃ in Italian-style salami. The RB treatment stood out, resulting in the highest quality product.