Elsevier

Meat Science

Volume 62, Issue 2, October 2002, Pages 199-204
Meat Science

Fermented pork sausage fortified with commercial or hen eggshell calcium lactate

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1740(01)00247-9Get rights and content

Abstract

The effects of adding commercial-grade and eggshell calcium lactate on the microbiological and physicochemical properties of Nhams (Thai-style fermented pork sausage) were studied. The Nham calcium levels were 150, 300 and 450 mg/100 g. Compared to controls (no added calcium), calcium fortification did not affect the number of lactic acid bacteria or the colour value. The shear force of Nhams fortified with eggshell calcium lactate decreased (P<0.05) from 32.2 N in the controls to 19.5–22.8 N in Nhams fortified with eggshell calcium lactate. However, Nhams fortified with commercial calcium lactate had the same shear force as the controls. Sensory scores of sour taste, flavour and overall acceptance were not different between the control and calcium-fortified Nhams at a calcium level of 150 mg/100 g.

Introduction

The food industry uses large quantities of eggs, so eggshell disposal poses a significant challenge to the industry in these times of increasing awareness of environmental safety. Eggshells are disposed in many ways, but are generally considered a waste product. The respondents in a recent survey reported the following disposal methods for waste eggshells: 26.6% as fertilizer, 21.1% as animal-feed ingredient, 26.3% discarded in municipal dumps and 15.8% used in other ways (MacNeil, 1997). Only recently has significant research been conducted into the possibility of using eggshells as a food ingredient. Eggshell calcium is a good source of dietary calcium and an excellent replacement material for important crustacean shells (Suguro, Horiike, Masuda, Kunou, & Kokubu, 2000). Calcium from crushed eggshell powder was absorbed easier than commercial calcium carbonate in the rat small intestine (Omi & Ezawa, 1998). Hen eggshell is composed of 97% solids (98% of calcium carbonate), of which 6.4% is protein, and trace quantities of lipids (Burley & Vadehra, 1989). Eggshell can be used as a calcium source for preparing many calcium salts, for example calcium citrate, calcium gluconate and calcium lactate. The experiments reported here were designed to prepare calcium lactate from eggshell; therefore, the eggshell is neutralized by lactic acid (calcium lactate is the most widely used salt of lactic acid). In pharmaceutical applications, eggshell is mainly used in calcium deficiency therapies in humans and animals for bone mineralization and growth (Tsugawa et al., 1995), and as an antitartar agent in toothpastes (Chemaly, Muhr, & Fick, 1999). In the food industry, calcium lactate is generally recognized as safe as a food ingredient. It is used as a firming agent, flavour enhancer, flavouring agent, leavening agent, nutrient supplement, stabilizer and thickener (Code of Federal Regulations, 1997). It is also used as an antibacterial agent (Shelef & Potluri, 1995).

Public concerns about osteoporosis among the aged population have been increasing the interest in dietary sources of calcium. The body calcium has also associated with hypertension and colon cancer incidence with inadequate calcium intake (Heaney & Barger-Lux, 1991). The current US recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) are to consume 0.8 g of calcium for adults per day, respectively (Food and Nutrition Board, 1989). Fortification of food products with calcium would provide an excellent opportunity for increasing calcium intakes in consumer diets, and achieving this using calcium salts has recently received a great deal of attention. Niewoehner (1988) suggested that increasing the intake of a variety of calcium-containing foods might be safer than calcium supplementation, because ingestion of large quantities of calcium concentrated in tablet form may suppress bone remodeling and thus affect bone formation as well as bone resorption. Moreover, at a recent conference organized by the National Institutes of Health, the consensus report from the conference recommended that the preferred approach to attaining optimal calcium intake should be through dietary sources rather than through calcium supplements (NIH, 1994). It is generally acknowledged that the best dietary sources of calcium are milk and milk products, but some consumers suffer from lactose tolerance. An alternative for this consumer group is to add calcium supplements to processed foods, such as meat products (Boyle, Addis, & Epley, 1994).

Fermented pork sausage (Nham) is traditionally made from fresh lean pork that is trimmed; minced; mixed thoroughly with salt, potassium/sodium nitrate/nitrite, cooked rice and seasonings; and packed in either banana leaves (Adams, 1986) or cylindrical plastic bags (Pakrachpan, 1981). Nham production in Thailand carries out through the fermentation with lactic acid bacteria and nitrate-reducing bacteria from air, utensils or ingredients which present in nature. It is a long process—generally the fermentation lasts 3–5 days depending on the season. When Nham is packed into cylindrical plastic bags, which exclude air, and is held in the bag during fermentation, a microenvironment is selected for microorganisms that are not only salt tolerant but can also grow in the absent of air. In these Gram-positive fermentative types of microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria are predominant (Comenuanta, 1966, Techapinyawat, 1975).

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in chemical, physical, microbiological and sensory properties of Nhams fortified with commercial or hen eggshell calcium lactate.

Section snippets

Materials

Fresh pork meat, pork skin, fresh garlic, fresh chili, and sugar were obtained from a local grocery store. The glutinous rice was prepared using a rice cooker. The meat was trimmed of excess fat and connective tissue, and ground through a 1.2 cm plate using a meat grinder (Hobart model 4243, Troy, OH). The skin was heated at 95 °C for 15 min, cooled to room temperature and shredded to 3×100 mm strips using a cutter (Hobart model 919), and kept frozen at−10 °C until used (within 1 month).

Nitrite

Results and discussion

Commercial calcium lactate and eggshell calcium lactate contained 14.0 and 15.6% calcium, respectively. Nhams fortified with commercial calcium lactate and eggshell calcium lactate contained 88.2–98.2 and 67.0–99.5% of the targeted value for calcium, respectively (Table 2).

Conclusion

Fortifying Nhams with calcium derived from either commercial or eggshell calcium lactate could produce a product with characteristics similar to Nhams with no added calcium lactate. Although the addition of eggshell calcium increased the pH and decreased the texture scores of Nhams, their total acceptance was not affected. We suggest that calcium supplementation should be limited to 150 mg/100 g (equivalent to 18.75% of the RDA for adults).

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant from the Royal Thai government in Thailand.

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    Present address; Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Agro-Industry, Maejo University, Sansai, Chiangmai 50290, Thailand.

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