Pitangueira Leaf Extracts as Alternative to Traditional Additives in Fresh Pork Sausage

Natural additives to extend food shelf-life has gain importance because consumers aim at acquiring health and wellness from food products without synthetic additives. The utilization of plant additives, mainly herbs and spices extracts, can be an alternative to replace synthetic additives in meat products. Nevertheless, extracts from less conventional plants, such as Pitangueira (Eugenia uniflora) has attracted attention due to its bioactive properties. Thus, in this work, the utilization of pitangueira leaf extracts (PLE) as alternative to traditional additives in fresh pork sausage was described. Procedures to improve the quantity of bioactive compounds in the extracts were described, and fresh pork sausages formulations with natural and/or traditional synthetic additives were prepared and assessed for their physical-chemical properties during 12 days, at 4 °C. Before presenting some experimental results, a brief review on pork quality, chemical additives used in processed pork, and plant bioactive compounds was presented. After that, some important experimental data on production of PLE and its characterization regarding cytotoxicity, antioxidant and antibacterial activities were presented. At the end, some data from experiments on conservation of a fresh sausage based on pork meat additive with the PLE, stored at 4 °C for 12 days, was also presented.