Investigation of the effect of sumac extract and BHT addition on the quality of sucuk (Turkish dry-fermented sausage)

The effect of sumac extract and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) addition on the quality (pH, colour, biogenic amine, TBARS values and sensory attributes) of sucuk (Turkish dry-fermented sausage) were investigated during the ripening period. Addition of BHT decreased the TBARS value by about 23.7%, whereas sumac extract decreased it by 42.0%. Sumac extract decreased (P < 0.05) putrescine formation more than BHT addition. However, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed in histamine formation for both the sumac extract and BHT-added recipe. The highest tyramine concentration was observed in a control recipe (R1) prepared without any antioxidants, and the lowest was in the sumac extract-added recipe (R3) with mean values of about 96.62 and 63.17 mg kg(-1), respectively. The control recipe (RI) was found to be the worst (P < 0.05) sample with respect to overall sensory quality and addition of either sumac extract or BHT increased (P < 0.05) the overall sensory quality of sucuk. The pH and colour attributes of sucuk were not significantly different (P > 0.05) between the addition of sumac extract and BHT. This study demonstrated that sumac extract had more effect on the quality of sucuk during the ripening period, hence it could be easily utilised in sucuk to enhance quality. (c) 2006 Society of Chemical Industry.