Combined Effects of Parsnip Fermented Juice and Hawthorn Extract Regarding Pork Mince Stability: Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Aspects

Parsnip fermented juice (PFJ) and hawthorn extract (HE) were identified as natural nitrite and antioxidant sources for pork mince. This study aimed to determine the effects of varying levels of HE added to a constant concentration of PFJ on lipids stability, heme pigment conversion degree, residual nitrite content, and spoilage bacteria growth, during refrigeration, compared with the combined effect of synthetic nitrite and sodium ascorbate (SA). Pork mince was formulated in six different ways with sterile distilled water (NC), 100 ppm synthetic nitrite and 50 ppm SA (PC), PFJ in the concentration of 100 ppm NO 2 − (T1), constant level of PFJ (100 ppm NO 2 − ), and increased level of HE, 50, 25 and 10 ppm GAE (T2, T3 and T4). During the experiment, pH increased for all the treatments, but the addition of PFJ alone or in combination with HE, it was maintained below the NC pH value. The lowest TBARS values and the highest PUFA concentrations were found in the T3, T4, and PC treatments. Of all the samples, the lowest residual nitrite values were found for T2. The highest NO-heme values were found for T2 and PC. After 9 days of storage, TVC results were higher than 5.69 logs CFU/g for all treatments. Overall, the obtained results showed that the combination of HE and PFJ could be a promising natural preservative for minced meat that could replace synthetic preservatives.