Microbiological Characteristics of Beef Sausage Enriched With Roselle ( L.) Sepal Extract.

Adding plant extracts to sausage and other meat products is very important to improve their quality, safety, and durability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological properties of beef sausage enriched with roselle ( L.) sepal extract. The total content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in hydroalcoholic extract of Roselle sepals was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu test and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, and antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH method. Pectin was used to encapsulate the extract. The characteristics of capsules, including particle size, zeta potential, and capsule efficiency were measured. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of extracts were performed by tube dilution method. Microbial tests were performed on sausage treatment samples. Analysis of the obtained data was done using SPSS and Excel software. The study revealed that the total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the extract were 174.6 mg of gallic acid per gram and 16.8368 mg of quercetin, respectively. The extract displayed the highest antioxidant activity at elevated concentrations. Particle size ranged from 16.833 to 640.534 μm. The zeta potential and capsule efficiency were found to be satisfactory. Compared to the encapsulated extract, the free roselle extract better inhibited (), (), and (). During storage until day 20, these bacteria did not grow in the free or encapsulated extract groups. However, appeared in the free extract group from day 25 and the encapsulated extract group from day 20. Roselle extract has antimicrobial properties that can improve the quality and safety of beef sausage during storage.