At the end of the laying cycle, layer hens can be used for production of mechanically separated meat (MSML) for sausage manufacture. However, mechanically separated meats are susceptible to lipid and pigment oxidation during storage, problems that could be prevented by the use of antioxidants present in curing additives traditionally used in meat processing. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality and stability of Mortadella produced with MSML added of sodium erythorbate (1000 ppm) and sodium nitrite (150 ppm) through preblending or during chopper processing (control treatment), after long term frozen storage of raw meat ingredient. The products were stored for 40 days at 7ºC and evaluated in regard to the oxidative stability of lipids (TBARS values), objective color, and microbiological and sensory attributes. Preblending MSML lessened rancidity of the final product in comparison to the control (0.2 and 2.2 mg malonaldehyde per kg, respectively), and elicited better color (a* = 7.5 and 10.5, respectively). Total counts of psychrotrophic microorganisms were similar for both treatments (2 log CFU g-1). Previous blending of nitrite (150 ppm) and erythorbate (1000 ppm) in mechanically separated meat soon after the extraction is recommended when the raw material will eventually go through prolonged frozen storage before its use in Mortadella sausage processing.
poultry meat; nitrite; erythorbate; oxidative stability; sensory evaluation
