Antimicrobial Effects of Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) Oil in Nitrite Reduced Sausage

Subject Areas : Food Microbial Contamination

Mohammadreza Khani ¹ , Amin Abolhasanzadeh ² , Maryam Fahimdanesh ³

1 - Assistant professor of Department of Food Science and Technology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - MSc Graduated of Food Science and Technology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2017-03-27 Accepted : 2017-08-30 Published : 2017-11-22

Keywords: sausage, Nitrite reduction, black cumin oil, microbial properties,

Abstract :

This study was aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of black cumin oil in sausage and evaluate the possibility of reduction of its nitrite. For this purpose, sausage samples were prepared at concentrations of 2 and 3 percent of black cumin oil containing various amounts of nitrite (including 0,30,60,90 ppm) in eight treatments and a control sample without black cumin oil and with 120 ppm nitrite and all stored for a month at 4°C. Then microbial properties of all samples such as total bacterial counts, coliforms, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, yeasts and moulds were examined on 1, 11, 21 and 31 days of storage time and organoleptic properties were evaluated after production of samples. The results showed that treatments containing 2 and 3 percent of black cumin oil with 90 ppm and 60 ppm nitrite, mainly had total bacterial counts, coliforms counts, E.coli, S.aureus, yeasts and moulds counts similar to those had control sample during the storage. But these microbial counts showed significant increase in all the samples at the end of the storage period (P<0.05). Salmonella and Cl. perfringens was not detected in samples. Generally, the results indicated that microbial load decreased by increasing the concentration of black cumin oil from 2 to 3 percent in equal concentrations of nitrite. Also, reduction of nitrite in treatments containing black cumin oil, mainly led to significant decrease of color, flavour, and general acceptance scors comparing with control sample, but had no significant effect on texture and odor properties.