The occurrence of volatile N-nitrosamines in heat-treated sucuk in relation to pH, aw and residual nitrite

Güzin Kaban; Zerrin Polat; Selen Sallan; Mükerrem Kaya

doi:10.1007/s13197-021-05186-2

The occurrence of volatile N-nitrosamines in heat-treated sucuk in relation to pH, a_w and residual nitrite

J Food Sci Technol. 2022 May;59(5):1748-1755. doi: 10.1007/s13197-021-05186-2. Epub 2021 Jun 29.

Authors

Güzin Kaban¹, Zerrin Polat¹, Selen Sallan², Mükerrem Kaya¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
² Department of Food Processing, Bandırma Vocational School, Onyedi Eylül University, Bandırma, Balıkesir, Turkey.

Abstract

In this study, the occurrence of volatile nitrosamines were investigated in heat-treated sucuk, a kind of semi-dry fermented sausage. The pH, a_w and residual nitrite of the samples were also determined. In addition, a principal component analysis (PCA) was also performed in order to elucidate the relationship between nitrosamine and these variables. Significant differences between brands were found in terms of NDMA (N- Nitrosodimethylamine), NPYR (N-Nitrosopyrolidine) and NPIP (N-Nitrosopiperidine) (p < 0.05). NDMA and NPYR varied from 1.71 to 3.57 µg/kg and 1.65 to 7.29 µg/kg, respectively. Higher levels were found for NPIP (5.19 to 16.40 µg/kg). NDEA (N-Nitrosodiethylamine) and NDBA (N- Nitrosodibutylamine) were not found in any of the heat-treated sucuk samples. The residual nitrite content was under 10 mg/kg in all samples. The a_w and pH values varied between 0.913 and 0.940 and between 4.28 and 5.47, respectively. In PC1 explaining 72% of the variance, NDMA and NPYR were placed on the negative side, NPIP on the positive side. Residual nitrite and a_w were more effective for NPIP, while pH was an important parameter for NDMA and NPYR.

Keywords: Heat-treated sucuk; NDMA; NPYR; Nitrosamine; PCA.