This study investigated the comparative effects of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP; 70% CO2 + 30% N2) on the formation dynamics of seven volatile N-nitrosamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosodipropylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), and N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA)) in sausages during 12 weeks of refrigerated storage (4 °C). Weekly Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis combined with two-way variance analysis (ANOVA) revealed that storage duration significantly increased all target nitrosamine concentrations (p lag) before accumulation commenced, whereas it remained below detection limits in vacuum packages. Furthermore, NPYR exhibited "Exponential Acceleration" kinetics in MAP, contrasting with the "Rapid Equilibrium" behaviour observed for NDBA and NDEA under vacuum conditions. These models achieved high determination coefficients (R2 > 0.90), mathematically demonstrating that packaging atmospheres shift underlying reaction pathways-from rapid saturation in vacuum to acid-catalyzed exponential growth in MAP. These findings underscore the necessity of evaluating nitrosamine dynamics within specific packaging contexts to ensure the chemical safety of processed meat products.
Sena Özbay (Tue,) studied this question.