Role of nitrite in flavour development in uncooked cured meat products: Sensory assessment.

Fermented dry sausages were produced according to the current industrial practices with the only exception that sodium nitrite was not systematically included in the formulation. Finished products were evaluated by a trained taste panel. Flavour of the samples made from mixes with added nitrite was found significantly different from that of the nitrite-free samples. Basically, nitrosated samples were allotted a stronger and a more typical flavour.