Stability of α-tocotrienol and α-tocopherol in salami-type sausages and curing brine depending on nitrite and pH

• We studied the stability of α-tocotrienol and α-tocopherol in salami-type sausages.
• Vitamer contents did not decrease during sausage ripening.
• Freeze-drying of sausages resulted in a significant loss of vitamers.
• Vitamer content in the curing brine decreased with decreasing pH.

We studied the stability of the valuable vitamer nutrients α-tocotrienol and α-tocopherol and options for their protection in salami-type sausages (blended with α-tocotrienol-rich barley oil) and curing brine. Four different sausage formulations were produced containing nitrite curing salt; nitrite curing salt and ascorbic acid (300 mg/kg); nitrite curing salt and carnosic acid (45 mg/kg); or sodium chloride. Initial vitamer contents (100 mg/kg) did not decrease significantly during ripening and decreased only slightly during storage. Ascorbic acid and carnosic acid were found to be effective in preserving the vitamers in fresh sausages. Freeze-drying of sausages resulted in a significant loss of vitamers (97%), particularly after 14-day storage at room temperature, even in the presence of shielding gases. The vitamer content in the curing brine decreased with decreasing pH in the presence of nitrite. A nitrite concentration of 136 mg/L at pH 4 resulted in significant loss (90%) of the vitamers. Sufficient stability of the vitamers in salami-type sausage and curing brine can be achieved by processing, formulation, and storage conditions.