Substitution of sodium nitrate in chicken sausage with beetroot and red radish powders

Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives, commonly added in the processed meats. However, nitrates can also be naturally found in beetroot and red radish. In beetroots, there are also betalain (a red-purple substance containing nitrogen), which it is water-soluble and can be applied as a coloring agent and food additive. The objective of this study was to substitute sodium nitrate in chicken sausages with powdered beetroot and red radish. The amount of nitrates in dried powders of beetroot and red radish was of 3195.46, 5567.54 mg/kg, respectively, while betalain content in beetroot powder was of 12.21%. By adding 1% (w/w) of powdered beetroot and red radish into chicken sausages, the amount of nitrate was found at 41.94 and 45.22 mg/kg, respectively, with 0.15% of betalains remained. The chicken sausages with powdered beetroot and red radish showed an increase in red color, compared to the control, with a* = 10.00, hue = 70.19, and a* = 5.13, hue = 74.87, respectively. Although the addition of powdered beetroot and red radish did not significantly affect the texture profiles such as springiness and chewiness, they had significant differences in hardness values compared to the control. These results are in agreement with the sensory evaluation, which the firmness, juiciness and overall acceptance score of chicken sausages added beetroot and red radish powder were not different compared to control samples. However, chicken sausage added with powdered beetroot gave the highest color score. Hence, natural nitrate from beetroot and red radish can substituted conventional preservatives in meat products.