Effects of organic tomato pulp powder and nitrite level on the physicochemical, textural and sensory properties of pork luncheon roll.

Nine treatments of pork luncheon roll produced with three sodium nitrite levels (0, 0.05 and 0.1%) and three tomato pulp powder (TPP) levels (0, 1.5 and 3%) were assessed at three storage times (2, 7 and 14d). The effects of enrichment with TPP on composition (protein, fat, moisture and ash), pH, colour (CIE L*, a*, b*), nitrosomyoglobin (NOMb) content, lipid oxidation (TBARS), residual nitrite content, total viable count (TVC) texture profile analysis (TPA) and sensory analysis of cooked pork luncheon roll were investigated. Decreasing the level of nitrite increased (p<0.001) the pH, the NOMb value (p<0.001), lipid oxidation (p<0.001) and the residual nitrite content (p<0.001) and affected the colour of the cooked product. The reduction in nitrites had no effect on the composition and texture of the pork luncheon rolls. Adding TPP reduced (p<0.001) the pH and increased (p<0.001) the colour parameters a* and b* of both the raw luncheon roll formulation and the cooked luncheon roll product. TPP, particularly at 3% had a detrimental effect on the texture of pork luncheon rolls by decreasing hardness (p<0.001), gumminess (p<0.001) and chewiness (p<0.001) and increasing cohesiveness (p<0.001). The TBA value increased (p<0.01) with the three main factors (nitrite, TPP, day) but was in all cases well below the 2mg MDA/kg threshold. TVCs for all treatments and storage days were below the TVC limit for this type of cooked product. The pork luncheon roll formulated with 50mg nitrite and 1.5% TPP had similar or enhanced sensory attributes compared to the luncheon roll containing no TPP and a nitrite level of 100mg/kg of product.