The Influence of Different Levels of Sodium Nitrite on the Safety, Oxidative Stability, and Color of Minced Roasted Beef

This study focuses on collecting actual data on the workable possibility of reducing the technological use of nitrites in beef products according to the present trends in nutrition, especially in terms of European Union (EU) food law. Measurements of safety by technological (pH value, water activity, N-nitrosamine), microbiological, oxidative stability (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, oxidation-reduction potential), and color parameter (CIE L*a*b*, total heme pigment and heme iron) methods were taken after production and storage. The roasted beef with a reduced inclusion level of sodium nitrite (75 mg/kg and below) was more vulnerable to lipid oxidation. The quantities of primary lipid oxidation products were related to the sodium nitrite inclusion level (50–150 mg/kg). Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in any of the samples tested during all the experiments. The total count of Enterobacteriaceae increased with the decrease in sodium nitrite content, from log 2.75 cfu/g at the highest to log 6.03 cfu/g at the smallest addition of nitrite. The obtained results revealed that the addition of 100 mg/kg of sodium nitrite would be adequate for minced roasted beef, without significant unexpected effects on color, oxidative stability, and microbiological safety compared with the control (150 mg/kg).