The correlation among residual nitrites, biogenic amines, N‐nitrosamine formation, and degradation occurrence of punicalagin α/β, rosmarinic acid, carnosol, and carnosic acid in extract‐treated sausage during storage

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between residual α‐ and β‐punicalagin in Punica granatum L.; PPE and rosmarinic acid, carnosol, and carnosic acid in Salvia eremophila (SE) with residual nitrites, biogenic amines (cadaverine, putrescine, and histamine), N‐nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), microbial counts, lipid oxidation indices, and color values in extract‐treated sausage over 14 days of storage. Sausage containing SE + nitrite 60 ppm (SSN) showed minimum levels of the residual nitrites (13.14 mg/kg), NDMA (0.74 ± 0.05 μg/kg), and biogenic amine (histamine, 1.8 mg/kg; cadaverine, 3.7 mg/kg; and putrescine, 4.3 mg/kg) due to retarded degradation rate of 285.84–216.44 mg/kg; rosmarinic acid, 41.62–33.16 mg/kg; carnosol, and 88.70–76.73 mg/kg; carnosic acid over storage time. The first‐order kinetic model fitted well for the degradation of rosmarinic acid and carnosol acid in SSN sample. TBA value remained below the threshold limit (0.32 mg kg(−1)) through 14 days for SSN. Second‐order and zero‐order reaction models had the best agreement with sausages' PV and TBA values, respectively. After 2 weeks of storage, E. coli and Cl. perfringens counts in the SN120 (sausage containing 120 ppm nitrite) and SSN were significantly lower than the other samples (p < .05), with the values 2.1 and 1.5 log cfu/g for SN120 and 2.2 and 1.6 log cfu/g for SSN formulation. Conversely, oxidation indices, residual nitrites, NDMA, and biogenic amine increased in sausage samples containing PPE extracts (SPN) owing to total degradation of α‐ and β‐punicalagin during storage. The results indicated that SE can be used as potential co‐preservative by reducing the levels of required nitrite in food industry.