You are currently viewing a new version of our website. To view the old version click .
Processes
  • This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
  • Article
  • Open Access

Published: 5 October 2025

Portulaca oleracea as a Functional Ingredient in Organic Cooked Frankfurters: A Sustainable Approach to Shelf-Life Extension and Oxidative Stability Without Synthetic Nitrites

,
,
,
and
Department of Technology of Food and Processing Industries, S. Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Processes2025, 13(10), 3167;https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103167 
(registering DOI)
This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Innovative Processes in Food Engineering

Abstract

Consumer demand for organic and nitrite-free meat products has stimulated the search for sustainable alternatives to synthetic curing agents. Conventional nitrites are effective in stabilizing color, inhibiting lipid oxidation, and suppressing pathogens, but their use raises health concerns due to potential nitrosamine formation. This study investigated the application of Portulaca oleracea powder as a multifunctional ingredient to fully replace sodium nitrite in organic cooked frankfurters. Two formulations were produced: control frankfurters with sodium nitrite and experimental frankfurters with purslane powder 1.2%. Physicochemical, oxidative, proteomic, and antioxidant parameters were monitored during refrigerated storage. Purslane incorporation improved the lipid profile by increasing α-linolenic acid and lowering the ω-6/ω-3 ratio, while peroxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and acid values remained significantly lower than in nitrite-containing controls after 10 days. Protein oxidation was also reduced, and SDS-PAGE profiles confirmed that the major structural muscle proteins remained stable, indicating that purslane addition did not disrupt the core proteome. Antioxidant assays showed strong ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) activity 13.7 mg GAE/g and enhanced 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity 22.3%, highlighting purslane’s contribution to oxidative stability. Although redness (a*) was lower than in nitrite controls, overall color stability (L*, b*) remained high. Taken together, purslane enhanced oxidative stability and quality attributes of nitrite-free organic frankfurters; microbiological validation is ongoing and will be reported separately.

Article Metrics

Citations

Article Access Statistics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.