Combined Effects of Chitosan and Chestnut Shell on Microbial Safety and Quality of Pork Meat Batter as Potassium Sorbate Alternatives

In the study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of chitosan and chestnut shell, individually or in combination, as alternatives to sorbate addition on the microbial safety and quality of pork meat batter. We prepared meat batters without an additive (control) and with potassium sorbate 2,000 ppm, chitosan 1%, chestnut shell 1%, and chitosan 0.5% + chestnut shell 0.5% were prepared, respectively, and stored at 4°C for 7 days. In all storage days, total aerobic bacteria, <italic>Pseudomonas </italic>spp. and lactic acid bacteria were not detected in the meat batter added with chitosan 0.5% + chestnut shell 0.5%. On storage day 7, the counts of <italic>S</italic><italic>taphylococcus</italic><italic> aureus </italic>and <italic>Escherichia coli </italic>O157:H7 were the lowest in the meat batter added with chitosan 1%, followed by that added with chitosan 0.5% + chestnut shell 0.5% (<italic>p</italic> < 0.05). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value of meat batter was lowest with the addition of 1% chestnut shell, whereas the addition of chitosan 0.5% + chestnut shell 0.5% resulted in the next lowest value (<italic>p</italic> < 0.05). Cooking loss was significantly higher in meat batter added with sorbate, chitosan 1%, and chitosan 0.5% + chestnut shell 0.5%, compared to the control (<italic>p</italic> < 0.05). In conclusion, the combined addition of chitosan 0.5% and chestnut shell 0.5% to meat batter can be used as a sorbate substitute to prevent microbial growth and changes in quality. However, further studies are required to verify these effects in sausages and to assess additional quality changes for industrial applications.