N-nitrosoamine inhibition and quality preservation of Harbin dry sausages by inoculated with Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus curvatus and Lactobacillus sake

This study investigates the effects of Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus curvatus, and Lactobacillus sake inoculation on N-nitrosoamine formation in and the quality characteristics of Harbin dry sausage. The results show that four types of N-nitrosoamines were detected- N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosodipropylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA), and N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP). L curvatus had a high inhibitory effect on all four N-nitrosamines, while L pentosus on NDPA and NDphA only. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts in inoculated sausages were significantly higher than the uninoculated controls during the fermentation process (P < 0.05). The pH value and water activity sharply decreased in the inoculated sausages, and the sausages inoculated with L curvatus had the lowest values (P < 0.05). The nitrite residues in inoculated samples were significant lower than in control samples (P < 0.05), and there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) among inoculated sausages. Inoculation of dry sausages with LAB strains decreased the content of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and delayed lipid oxidation. These results demonstrate that LAB could be used as starter cultures to improve quality characteristics and inhibit N-nitrosoamine accumulation, with the L curvatus strain showing the optimal performance in inhibiting N-nitrosoamine formation in Harbin dry sausage production. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.