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Nitrite reduction in cooked ham: an organoleptic and food safety concern?

2026-06-01Artigo de investigação Acesso aberto
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dc.contributor.authorNunes, Maria J. M.
dc.contributor.authorPereira, Rui C.
dc.contributor.authorNoronha, Lúcia
dc.contributor.authorCruz, Inês
dc.contributor.authorKomora, Norton
dc.contributor.authorBarbosa, Joana Bastos
dc.contributor.authorMonteiro, Maria João P.
dc.contributor.authorRibas, Tânia C. F.
dc.contributor.authorMesquita, Raquel B. R.
dc.contributor.authorRangel, António O. S. S.
dc.contributor.authorCarvalho, Fátima
dc.contributor.authorBrandão, Teresa R. S.
dc.contributor.authorTeixeira, Paula
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-23T11:04:45Z
dc.date.available2026-03-23T11:04:45Z
dc.date.issued2026-06-01
dc.description.abstractCooked meat products, particularly ham, are widely consumed, and reducing nitrite levels has become a priority due to health concerns and regulatory pressure. This study evaluated the microbiological safety, technological performance, physicochemical properties, and sensory attributes of whole cooked ham formulated with reduced nitrite (from 150 to 80 ppm) during shelf life. Microbiological analyses were conducted every 15 days, including total viable counts (TVC), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. TVC and LAB remained below the safety threshold (<104 CFU/g), while all other parameters were below detection limits. Sulphite reducing Clostridium spores, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were absent from all samples. Challenge testing with L. monocytogenes and Clostridium sporogenes was performed to assess the product's ability to inhibit pathogen growth under simulated storage conditions (up 35 and 90 days, respectively) and temperature abuse conditions (8 °C). The reduced-nitrite ham formulation effectively inhibited the growth of C. sporogenes and delayed the growth of L. monocytogenes. Technological assessments included colour measurements, water retention capacity, and texture profile analysis (TPA), with no significant differences observed between the standard and nitrite reduced formulations (P > 0.05). Physicochemical parameters such as pH (6.0–6.2), water activity (aw, 0.9669–0.9482), and residual nitrite content (4 to 1 mg/kg) were evaluated at 0, 45 and 90 days. These findings demonstrate that reducing nitrite levels to 80 ppm can ensure the product safety and quality, as evidenced by stable physicochemical properties and the preservation of sensory characteristics such as appearance, odour, texture, and flavour.eng
dc.identifier.citationNunes, M. J. M., Pereira, R. C., Noronha, L., & Cruz, I. et al. (2026). Nitrite reduction in cooked ham: an organoleptic and food safety concern? Meat Science, 236, Article 110072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2026.110072
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.meatsci.2026.110072
dc.identifier.issn0309-1740
dc.identifier.otherf0aa6aba-8b5a-4fd5-8691-4d9e874dcf56
dc.identifier.pmid41762608
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/57419
dc.identifier.wos001706569300001
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectChallenge testing
dc.subjectClean tech
dc.subjectClostridium sporogenes
dc.subjectHuman health
dc.subjectListeria monocytogenes
dc.subjectScientific research
dc.titleNitrite reduction in cooked ham: an organoleptic and food safety concern?eng
dc.typeresearch article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.titleMeat Science
oaire.citation.volume236
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85

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