Natural plant-based polyphenolic bioactives as nitrite replacement in processed meat

越来越多的证据表明，加工肉类会给人类带来健康问题，增加患癌症和心血管疾病的风险，因为亚硝酸钠会形成有毒的n -亚硝酸钠。亚硝酸钠是一种常见的食品添加剂和防腐剂，已被世界癌症研究基金会列为“可能对人类致癌”。然而，最近对人类的研究表明，植物多酚可以减少接触n -亚硝基化合物，降低患结肠直肠癌的风险。多酚是一种抗氧化化合物，存在于许多植物性食品中，并已被证明具有抗菌特性，使其成为合成防腐剂的潜在有效天然替代品。目前，诺瓦蒂卡技术有限公司、SPG创新有限公司、NoWFood、切斯特大学和拉夫堡大学之间的合作项目致力于满足消费者对天然和生物基食品成分的需求，同时解决对加工肉类安全的担忧。具体来说，该项目旨在展示天然生物基多酚作为亚硝酸盐在保存加工肉类中的潜在替代品的使用。最近，Novatica开发了一种低成本和高效的生物精炼技术序列，从当地未充分利用的农业食品残留物中提取多酚，并将其配制成即食食品成分。该技术允许保留植物基多酚生物活性物质的独特特性，并提供几个优势，包括可重复性，成本效益，可扩展性，效率和可持续性。目前的项目将展示在制备腌猪肉火腿时使用富含多酚的成分作为亚硝酸盐的替代品。可持续产品将提供具有竞争力的价格，独特的风味和口味特征以及碳中性标签。预计该项目将为食品工业带来重大利益，包括提高竞争力、创造新的市场机会和改善食品安全标准。此外，开发一种利用天然生物基多酚保存加工肉类的创新和可持续方法，有可能为更广泛的生物经济做出重大贡献，创造就业机会，减少对进口化学品的依赖，确保供应安全，减少送往垃圾填埋场的农业食品垃圾数量，并为消费者增加无亚硝酸盐肉类产品的供应。

There is increasing evidence that processed meat causes health problems in humans, increasing risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases due to the formation of toxic N-nitroso species from sodium nitrite, a common food additive and preservative, which has been classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by World Cancer Research Fund. Whereas recent studies in humans have shown that plant-based polyphenols can reduce exposure to N-nitroso compounds and lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant compound found in many plant-based foods and have been shown to have antimicrobial properties, making them a potentially effective natural alternative to synthetic preservatives.The current collaborative project between Novatica Technologies Ltd, SPG Innovations Ltd, NoWFood, and the Universities of Chester and Loughborough strives to fulfill the consumer's need for natural and bio-based food ingredients while addressing the concerns over the safety of processed meat. Specifically, the project aims to showcase the use of natural bio-based polyphenols as a potential alternative to nitrites in preserving processed meat.Recently, Novatica has developed a low-cost and efficient biorefinery technological sequence to extract polyphenols from local under-utilised agri-food residues and formulate them into ready-to-use food ingredients. The technology allows to preserve the unique properties of plant-based polyphenolic bioactives and offers several advantages, including reproducibility, cost-effectiveness, scalability, efficiency, and sustainability.The current project will demonstrate the use of polyphenols-rich ingredients as nitrite replacement in the preparation of cured pork ham. The sustainable product will offer a competitive price, distinctive flavour and taste profile and carbon-neutral label.The project is expected to have significant benefits for the food industry, including increased competitiveness, the creation of new market opportunities, and improved food safety standards. Additionally, the development of an innovative and sustainable method for preserving processed meat using natural bio-based polyphenols has the potential to make a significant contribution to the wider bioeconomy, creating employment opportunities, reducing dependence on imported chemicals, ensuring the security of supply, reducing the quantity of agri-food waste sent to landfill and increasing the availability of nitrite-free meat products for consumers.