Effect of partial replacement of nitrite with a novel probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum TN8 on color, physico-chemical, texture and microbiological properties of beef sausages

- Substitution nitrite by TN8 strain decreased pathogenic bacteria growth in sausage.
- Substitution nitrite by TN8 strain maintained lipid oxidation in sausage.
- Substitution nitrite by TN8 strain achieves good and constant quality of sausage.
- TN8 strain could achieve healthier sausage by lowering nitrite levels.

This work investigates the effects of partial nitrite substitution by the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum TN8, on the quality and safety of beef sausages during 10 days of storage at 4 °C. The obtained results revealed that the texture was affected in terms of a reduction of hardness, springiness and chewiness. Color ratio a*/b* was also significantly affected (P < 0.05), while the L* parameter displayed similar results as compared to control. According to nutritional values of beef sausage, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed while a significant decrease in pH values in sausage formulated with TN8 strain were reported due to the growth of lactic acid bacteria. Finally, our study demonstrated that TN8 strain addition at 7 log CFU/g can be used as a biopreservative for beef sausage by decreasing the growth of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes and maintaining lipid oxidation. Overall, our findings demonstrated that the incorporation of TN8 strain into beef sausage formulation could be an interesting strategy to produce healthier sausage by lowering nitrite levels.