Influences of three natural antioxidants on the quality of Chinese‐style traditional sausage during storage

Abstract BACKGROUND Natural substances are often used in the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of meat products. This study evaluated the effects of three natural antioxidants (theaflavins (TF), tea polyphenols (TP) and vitamin C (VC)), respectively, combined with sodium nitrite (NaNO 2 ) on the quality of Chinese traditional sausage during 28 days storage. RESULTS All antioxidant treatments (300 mg kg −1 ) significantly ( P < 0.05) inhibited microorganism growth, lipid oxidation, and nitrite degradation compared to control. TF treatment demonstrated the strongest antimicrobial activity, while both TF and VC were most effective in suppressing lipid oxidation (reduced by 20.0% and 29.8%, respectively) and gaining a lower pH (6.22 and 6.25 vs. 6.45), along with reduced vacuum purge loss (7.43% and 8.26% vs. 13.16%) compared to control. Compared to the control, sensory evaluation showed that TF‐treated sausages maintained optimal texture and flavor, achieving the highest acceptability score (4.70/5 vs. 3.34/5). CONCLUSION In processed meat products, TF–NaNO₂ complexes acted as an effective partial nitrite replacer by providing synergistic antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.