The influence of rose hip extract on the color and texture indicators of sausages

In the food market, the industry of natural products is actively developing, with the complete exclusion or reduction in the content of synthetic additives. This trend has also affected the niche of ready-to-eat meat products - sausages. Herbal ingredients with initially pronounced antioxidant properties, including rose hips, can be used to replace traditional synthetic additives in meat products. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the possibility of partially replacing sodium nitrite in sausages with an extract of dried rose hips (Rosa canina L.). Rosehip extract was evaluated by color characteristics and texture-profile indicators of boiled sausages. 5 batches of boiled sausages were produced: 1) PC - positive control with sodium nitrite, 2) NC - negative control without sodium nitrite, 3) experimental batch with 3% concentration, 4) with 8% concentration, 5) with 13% concentration of rosehip extract (Rosa canina L.) and 50% sodium nitrite. The color values of the finished boiled experimental sausage samples changed significantly: the lightness parameters decreased compared to all samples, the severity of red hues increased with the increase the extract concentration, but at the same time they were lower compared to the positive control. The values of yellowness were higher in the prototypes. The addition of a new ingredient to the composition of sausages caused significant changes in the texture parameters in proportion to the increase in the concentration of the added extract in the test samples. Pathogenic microorganisms: Escherichia coli group bacteria, Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were not detected for all studied samples. Among the experimental samples, the minimum indicators of mesophilic bacteria and the most optimal indicators for the inhibition of undesirable microflora and color characteristics were obtained by a sample with 50% sodium nitrite and 13% concentration of rosehip extract.