Effects of Enriched Safflower Oil with Oleoresin from Capsicum annuum var. Anaheim on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Reformulated Pork Sausages

The growing demand for healthier meat products has led to efforts to reduce synthetic additives, such as nitrites, in processed meats. This study evaluated the effect of enriched safflower oil with oleoresin from Capsicum annuum var. Anaheim (ESO) as a functional ingredient in the reformulation of Frankfurt-style pork sausages with reduced nitrite content. Five formulations were evaluated: a negative control without additives (F1 (0% ESO, 0% nitrite), a positive control containing only sodium nitrite F2 (0% ESO, 0.15% nitrite = 93.8 mg/kg), and three experimental treatments contained ESO and nitrite: F3 (0.5% ESO, 0.075% nitrite = 46.9 mg/kg), F4 (1% ESO, 0.05% nitrite = 31.3 mg/kg), and F5 (1.5% ESO, 0% nitrite), stored under refrigeration (4 °C) for five weeks. Physicochemical (pH, color, texture profile, proximate composition, residual chlorides and nitrites), oxidative (TBARS), and microbiological (total viable count) analyses were conducted over 5 weeks of storage. Results showed that formulation F4 provided the best balance between oxidative stability microbial control and nitrite residual content, maintaining TBARS levels below the 1.0 mg MDA/kg rancidity threshold (0.33 ± 0.01 mg MDA/kg), TVC within the 6.0 log CFU/g limit for processed meats (3.89 log CFU/g) and 1.15 mg/kg of nitrite residual at the end of the storage period. These findings suggest a synergistic effect between ESO and nitrites. Since addition of ESO was consistent with improved cured color development, likely due to the combined effect of reduced nitrite levels and the natural pigments from Anaheim chili. These findings demonstrate that ESO is a promising natural additive to partially replace nitrites, contributing to the development of healthier and safer processed meat alternatives.