Investigation of carrot powder as a plant‐derived nitrate source in dry sausages: impact on sensory quality, amines formation and microbial community

BACKGROUND Rising demand for clean‐label products is fueling the use of natural curing ingredients in product innovation. This study evaluated carrot powder as a plant‐derived nitrate source for natural curing in dry sausage. Compared with other plant‐based nitrite alternatives, carrot powder may provide additional pigments and phenolic compounds that could benefit color and sensory quality. Four groups were established: C (control without nitrite), H 1 (10 g kg −1 carrot powder), H 2 (20 g kg −1 carrot powder) and Y (0.1 g kg −1 nitrite). RESULTS The color of sausages with carrot powder was closer to that of the nitrite group; however, it still did not reach the level achieved by nitrite addition ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, carrot powder reduced the accumulation of biogenic amines and N ‐nitrosodimethylamine in dry sausages, which were reduced by 27.23% and 79.80% in the H 1 group compared to group C, respectively. This may be related to the increased combined relative abundance of Weissella , Lactobacillus and Lactococcus observed in the carrot powder groups during fermentation. In addition, natural antioxidant compounds in carrot powder may also have contributed to this effect. CONCLUSION Overall, carrot powder may serve as a natural curing agent for dry sausages, offering a clean‐label approach to reducing the use of added nitrite.