Pink pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) as a bio-based additive in pork salami: lipid oxidative stability, cholesterol oxides formation, physicochemical characteristics, and sensory acceptance
摘要
This study investigated the effectiveness of pink pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) as a bio-based additive to reduce lipid oxidation in pork salami. Firstly, the bioactive composition of pink pepper extract was evaluated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analyses, revealing the presence of flavonoids, tannins, and terpenes, classes of antioxidant compounds that together contribute to the increased oxidative stability observed in this study. Pork salami samples were prepared with different concentrations of pink pepper (0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0%). The addition of pink pepper increased the lipid oxidative stability as it reduced the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The control samples showed a TBARS value of 1.17 ± 0.34 mg MDA/kg sample, while the addition of pink pepper resulted in values ranging from 1.05 ± 0.07 to 0.57 ± 0.04 mg MDA/kg sample. For PUFAs, the content determined in sample 1.0 pink pepper (14.47 ± 0.58 g/100 g oil) was double that found in the control (7.06 ± 0.85 g/100 g oil) (p ≤ 0.05). Samples containing pink pepper had lower cholesterol oxide levels (58.84 ± 0.53–191.73 ± 5.53 µg/g) compared to the control (338.55 ± 9.0 µg/g) (p ≤ 0.05). Instrumental analysis showed no significant effect of pink pepper on color and texture (p > 0.05). Moreover, the salami samples with pink pepper were sensorially well accepted, with over 69% of sensory test responses indicating overall liking. Therefore, the overall results suggest using pink pepper as a suitable additive in pork salami with great improvement of lipid stability, reducing the formation of cholesterol oxides and, consequently, the product safety.