Reducing nitrite content in hot dogs by hurdle technology

The objective of the present study was to reduce nitrite content in hot dogs using hurdle technology without sacrificing product safety and quality. In the present study, the water activity of the hot dog was adjusted to 0.95 by the addition of humectants. Although the pH at the hot dog was adjusted with Glocono-delta-lacton to 5.4, the product had (p > 0.05) the least acceptance on account of the organoleptic changes (sour taste). Moreover, the temperature of 80 ± 1 °C for an hour with the aim of achieving an internal temperature of 75 °C was applied. Subsequently, the temperature of the hot dog samples reduced to around 5–6 °C within 40–45 min, and afterwards the sausages were kept at chilled temperature (>3 °C but ⩽10 °C) throughout their shelf life. There was a decrease in total aerobic counts in hurdle treated hot dogs (with 50 ppm nitrite), compared to the control (with 120 ppm nitrite), whereas Clostridium perfringens counts and Clostridium botulinum detection were the same (p < 0.05) in both hurdle treated and control samples. The obtained results of present study clearly showed that both hurdle treated sample and control had the same (p < 0.05) overall acceptability and sensory attributes.