The eect of paprika, garlic and salt on rancidity in dry sausages M.M. Aguirreza´bal, J. Mateo, M.C. Domı ´ nguez, J.M. Zumalaca´rregui* Departamento de Higiene y Tecnologi ´ a de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Leo´n, Campus Vegazana s/n, 24007 Leo´n, Spain Received 25 February 1999; received in revised form 6 June 1999; accepted 11 June 1999 Abstract Eight batches of ground fat and eight batches of a mixture of meat and fat (70 and 30%, respectively), were prepared by adding salt, paprika and garlic, in the proportions used for making chorizo — a dry fermented sausage — stued into natural casings and then ripened. The evolution of rancidity in these products was evaluated by means of total free fatty acid content, peroxide value and TBARS during the ripening period. Spanish paprika and salt showed antioxidant and prooxidant properties, respectively. Paprika was even able to inhibit the prooxidant eect of salt. Also, four batches of chorizo were made to compare the antioxidant eect of the spices (garlic and paprika) with a mixture of nitrate, nitrite and ascorbic acid. In this respect, paprika and garlic were as eective as the mixture of additives in inhibiting lipid oxidation. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction A major cause of meat product deterioration is oxi- dative rancidity. Oxidation of lipids in meat and meat products is responsible for changes in its nutritional quality — loss of vitamins and essential amino acids — colour, flavour, odour and texture. Various synthetic antioxidants have been utilised to retard the development of rancidity in meat products, and thus extend their shelf life, such as BHT, BHA, and propyl gallate. However, questions regarding the safety of synthetic antioxidants together with consumer’s pre- ference have led to increased interest and research on natural antioxidants. It has been demonstrated many times that spices inhibit rancidity, often showing syner- gism (Madsen & Bertelsen, 1995). Several authors have observed that during the ripen- ing of dry fermented sausages lipid oxidation did not occur (Domı´nguez & Zumalaca´rregui, 1991; Go¨kalp, 1986; Nagy, Miha´lyi & Incze, 1989). The reason for this was probably the antioxidative action of the spices, curing agents and smoke. Nevertheless, the antioxidant eect of spices in these sausages has been little studied (Hammer, 1977; Palic, Krizanec & Dikanovic, 1993). The two principal spices used in chorizo — a Spanish dry fermented sausage — are garlic and Spanish paprika, both having antioxidant substances. Among spices, paprika had one of the lower redox potentials (Palic et al., 1993), which could lead us to expect high antioxidants content. Antioxidants such as phenolic compounds — flavonoids, mainly quercetin and luteolin, phenolic acids, capsaicinoids, tocopherols, carotenoids — ascorbic acid, nitrates and nitrites (Daood, Vinkler, Ma´r- kus, Hebshi & Bracs, 1996; Lee, Howard & Villalo´ n, 1995) were found in fresh peppers (Capsicum annuum) and their seeds (Sza´nto´ , 1980). Moreover, Spanish paprika, which is commonly smoked, contains smoke’s antioxidant com- pounds, as noted previously (Mateo, Aguirreza´bal, Dom- ı´nguez & Zumalaca´ rregui, 1997). On the other hand, several components of garlic and garlic extracts possess antioxidant activity, which is concentration dependent (Yang, Yasaei & Page, 1993), showing that garlic is an eective hydroxyl radical sca- venger. Substances such as alliin, diallyl sulfide, allyl sulfide and propyl sulfide, account for the antioxidant eect. Likewise, garlic contains ascorbic acid and nitrates and nitrites (Aguirrezabal, Mateo, Domı´nguez & Zumalaca´rregui, 1998). The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti- oxidant eectiveness of the main spices used in chorizo — paprika and garlic — and to compare them with a mixture of nitrate, nitrite and ascorbic acid. 0309-1740/99/$ - see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0309-1740(99)00074-1 Meat Science 54 (2000) 77–81 www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci Corresponding author. Tel.: +34-987-291284; fax: +34-987-291284. E-mail address: dhtjzr@isidoro.unileon.es (J.M. Zumalaca´ rregui)