Olive Pomace in Diet Limits Lipid Peroxidation of Sausages from Cinta Senese Swine

In order to examine whether olive pomace (OP), the mean by-product of olive oil extraction, can be included in the animal diet, its effect on the raw mixture and sausages made from meat from OP-fed Cinta Senese swine is tested by comparing it with a diet supplemented with high oleic sunflower oil (SO) and a control diet (C). Proximate composition, pH, color, total culturable bacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and lipid oxidation are evaluated in both the raw mixture and sausages. The aroma profile is also evaluated in sausages. Olive pomace affected the fatty acid composition of the raw mixture and strongly limited the lipid peroxidation of sausages, probably due to the synergistic action of 3,4-DHPEA and alpha-tocopherol. Olive pomace selectively promotes LAB growth, and protected the raw mixture and sausages from discoloration. The diet also affected the content of volatile organic compounds thus enabling OP sausages to be distinguished from other sausages.