EFFECT OF SWISS CHARD POWDER AND STARTER CULTURE ON SENSORY PROPERTIES OF DRY-CURED PORK LOIN

Abstract

Nowadays, the modern consumer is starting to take more care of his health and change his eating habits. He reduces the consumption of processed meats or wants to consume natural processed meats that contain lower quantity of additives. In order to determine the efficiency of swiss chard powder, as a natural source of nitrite, and usage the starter culture in industrial conditions, in two replications, two groups of cured pork loin were produced, as follows: Group I: control group using nitrite salt and group II: swiss chard powder and using the starter culture SafePro EasyCure LC (Debaryomyces hansenii, Lactobacillus curvatus, Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus vitulinus) without usage of nitrite salt. The usage of swiss chard powder in combination with the starter culture results in obtaining the desired color of the surface and the cross section of cured pork loin. The other sensory characteristics have been improved, and, at the same time, the overall quality of the finished product has been improved. Generally, the useage of swiss chard powder and the starter culture SafePro EasyCure LC (Debaryomyces hansenii, Lactobacillus curvatus, Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus vitulinus) produces a natural, durable product, produced in industrial conditions. Further research is needed to determine the safety and feasibility of extending the shelf life of the product.