ABSTRACT
Health risks associated with conventional preservatives and the trend of food healthiness have promoted a growing interest in alternatives of food preservation. These include the use of plant preservatives, condiments and their extracts. Using the indicators count of aerobic mesophiles and pH, the objective of this study was to compare the influence of salt content at the proportions of one, two and three parts with that of the addition of crude plant extracts on the time of preservation of a meat model system (600 g of ground pork shoulder). It was considered suitable for human consumption the treatment whose microbiological count of aerobic mesophiles, observed for 15 days, did not exceed 105 CFU/g. The components (salt and extracts) were mixed with the meat using a Stomacher Lab Blender. The treatment with the highest proportion of salt (three parts) remained viable for consumption for 10 days, while treatments with one part remained for four days and those with two parts remained for nine days. Treatments with “macela” or “laurel” did not statistically differ from treatments with one part of salt. The extracts of “hibiscus”, “clove”, “cinnamon” and “nutmeg”, in the plant:volume proportion (10 g:100 mL) tested, maintained the meat model system suitable for consumption until the fifteenth day. The pH of the treatments did not interfere with the shelf life of the meat model system. The results indicate the potential use of these extracts as preservatives in processed meat products.
Keywords:
Preservative condiments; Preservative spices; Food preservatives; Plant preservatives