Modeling the influence of functional additives in beef sausages using a Box- Benkhen design: Effects on quality characteristics

The influence of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum TN8 bacterium and dietary fiber, namely barley beta-glucan concentrate (BBC), in raw beef sausage on microbiological, color and textural analyses was studied using a Box- Behnken design. Twenty seven treatments representing different replacement levels for meat and sodium nitrite with the L. plantarum TN8 strain and BBC fiber were studied. Results showed that reformulated sausages contained low levels of nitrite even at 0.1% application and the probiotic strain decreased the microbial load for up to 10 days at 4 degrees C. The newly formulated sausages affected positively a* and b* values. The optimized conditions (75 g/kg meat; 0.1 g/kg nitrite, 0.25% fiber and 5 x10(7) CFU/g of probiotic TN8) in the final product decreased chewiness and elasticity. These parameters were influenced by fiber and nitrite levels including interactions.