Quality and safety of food items are two related and essential yardsticks, of particular importance in the case of fermented and/or processed food products.

In this context, meat and charcuterie products are today important issues. Recently, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) defined red meat as “probably carcinogenic” (group 2A) and processed meat (cured meats and charcuterie products) as “carcinogenic” (group 1).

Charcuterie items, along with other animal-derived products, represent an essential industry for the Piedmont Region (particularly for the province of Cuneo). The promotion of brands and safeguarding of their quality with the use of technologies already proven at scientific/academic level (although not yet used in production methods) would surely be a driving force for the related agri-food sector, producing a positive effect (on farmers, animal breeders, organisations carrying out agri-food monitoring, schools and training bodies, distributors and end consumers).

The production of matured cold cuts requires microbiological stability and food safety, and the checking of pathogens is based on extremely delicate equilibria, so the reduction or elimination of nitrites and nitrates must be carefully managed and based on scientific research.

Goals

The Salumi Liberi project sets out to achieve controlled restrictions on the use of nitrates and nitrites in processed meats and and proposes evaluation of where and if it is possible to completely eliminate these elements according to criteria of food safety.

In the microbiology field, it was decided to use both commercial starters and fermented crops stored in the DISAFA and IZS collections, which are able to produce natural antimicrobials. Regarding the use of antioxidants, with lipid fraction action, the experiment aimed at formulating mixtures without inhibitant action on the starters.

Activity

• Reduction of nitrates/nitrites in cold cut products: bibliographic research; 
• Reduction of nitrates/nitrites in raw salami: microbiological-type approaches; antimicrobial ingredients and alternative antioxidants;
• Reduction of nitrites in cooked ham: impact on food safety features and on the preservability of the product – microbiological considerations;
• Reduction of nitrites in cooked ham: new ingredients in their place;
• Analytical conclusions on the chemical-physical characteristics of raw salami and cooked ham with low nitrate/nitrite content
• sensorial analysis of new meat-derived products.

Expected findings

• The expected result is that of arriving at controlled restriction of use of nitrates and nitrites in cold cut products (raw salami of pure pork and/or ovine and caprine meat) and of evaluating whether it is possible to completely eliminate these elements with alternative antioxidants and microbial approaches.
• The project focuses on cooked ham because this is a widespread product which is very popular with consumers, often used in children’s diets or for people in hospital due to it being easy for them to ingest. The search project sets out to define an innovative product which maintains its organoleptic features while substituting nitrites with new ingredients.

 Partnerships

Project lead

• AGENFORM – Training Services Agency in the Province of Cuneo (Project manager: Emilia Brezzo)

Partners

• Azienda Agricola (farm business) Casa Costa of Villa Massimo
• Azienda Agricola (farm business) Cascina Muretteisa of Margaria Marco
• Azienda agricola (farm business) la Rosa Bianca of Vighetto Enrico
• Local Health Authority cn1 of Cuneo
• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (Centre for Experimental Veterinary Medicine) of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta
• La Granda Trasformazione S.R.L.
• Chemical Laboratory, Turin Chamber of Commerce
• Practice/Theory School, Malva Liborio-Arnaldi Virginia
• Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences - Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”
• Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (DiSAFA) - Università degli Studi di Torino (UNITO)