An Innovative Blend of Cinnamon Essential Oil, Roselle, and Moringa Flower Powders as a Natural Alternative to Sodium Nitrite in Chicken Sausage Processing

The use of nitrite and nitrate in processed meats is a public health concern because they can form potentially carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. This study developed and characterized a natural phytochemical formulation comprising roselle flower and moringa flower powder, and cinnamon essential oil (5.5:4:0.5) as a potential nitrite alternative in emulsion-based chicken sausages. The formulation exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with high total phenolic content (147.44 mg GAE/g) and effective DPPH radical-scavenging capacity. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis preliminarily identified diverse bioactive secondary metabolites. It also demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against major foodborne pathogens and remained stable across varying pH (2–6) and temperature (37–100 °C) conditions. Toxicity evaluations, including red blood cell hemolysis, probiotic compatibility, and Vero cell cytotoxicity assays, confirmed its non-toxic nature. Chicken sausages containing different levels of the phytochemical formulation (0–1%) and sodium nitrite (0–150 ppm) were stored at 4 ± 1 °C for 20 days and evaluated periodically. Compared with controls, sausages containing the formulation showed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved water retention (22% vs. 25%), nutritional quality (moisture = 66.02 vs. 67.24%, total ash = 2.09 vs. 2.32%, and carbohydrate = 2.76 vs. 2.98%), and texture (1.88 vs. 1.80 kgf/cm2 on day 0 and 1.44 vs. 1.64 kgf/cm2 on day 20), while exhibiting lower lipid oxidation (0.287 vs. 0.278 mg MDA/kg on day 0 and 2.031 vs. 0.761 mg MDA/kg on day 20), residual nitrite levels (80.35 vs. 31.10 mg/kg on day 0 and 46.96 vs. 16.03 mg/kg on day 20), and microbial counts [total viable count (1.58 vs. 1.28 log CFU/g on day 0 and 4.65 vs. 3.52 log CFU/g on day 20), psychrophiles (3.56 vs. 1.24 log CFU/g on day 20), coliforms (undetectable), Staphylococcus aureus (2.55 vs. 1.34 log CFU/g on day 20)]. Although complete nitrite replacement produced an undesirably dark color, partial replacement (1/2 to 2/3, i.e., 75–100 ppm nitrite) maintained product quality, and shelf life, highlighting the formulation’s potential for cleaner-label, healthier processed meat products.