Abstract:
Natural color additives are increasingly demanded by sausage industry due to the health and
safety concerns associated with the synthetic colorants. Aim of this study was to investigate the
potential of using beetroot (Beta vulgaris), carrot (Daucus carota) and rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa
L.) extracts as alternatives synthetic colorants in sausage production. Sausages were made using
5% extracts of natural colorants while the control group included 0.015% canthaxanthin. The
effects of different coloring agents on the physicochemical properties, microbiological properties
and sensory properties were assessed over the 15-day storage period. The results were
statistically analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure followed by
Duncan's multiple range test and the Friedman test. The protein, fat, moisture, and total solid
contents of the sausages prepared with natural colorants were not significantly different (p>0.05)
from those values of the control. Moreover, throughout the storage period (days 1, 8, and 15), pH
and water holding capacity were not changed (p>0.05) due to treatments. Redness (a*) and
yellowness (b*) values of raw and cooked sausage with carrot extract were significantly higher
than those values of beetroot and Rosella. Despite color stability being a concern with natural
colorants, the study demonstrated color of natural colorant treated sausages was stable during
the storage period. The visual assessment indicates a substantial difference (P < 0.05) in the color
attribute among the treatments, with the lowest score for color (4.77 ± 0.20) was reported by
beetroot while the highest value was reported by carrot extract (6.10 ± 0.13). Sausages with
added carrot extract and the control sausages exhibited higher overall acceptability (P < 0.05)
compared to other treatments. Inclusion of natural colorants did not change (P > 0.05) the texture
of sausage. There were no reports of the presence of E. Coli, Salmonella, or Staphylococcus aureus
in any of the treatments. In conclusion, the incorporation of natural colorants derived from
rosella, beetroot, and carrot did not significantly alter the microbiological characteristics or the
proximate composition. Although the color values achieved for all three natural colorant
treatments remained within the industry standards for sausage products, this study concludes
that carrot extracts have the highest potential to be alternatives to the synthetic colorant
canthaxanthin in sausage production.
