Patent ID: 6689403
Filing Date: 2004-02-10
Classification: A23B,A23L

Abstract:
A process to redden meat products, comprising the steps of adding to a seasoned but nitrite-free meat or sausage preparation, a nitrate-reducing microorganism of the genus Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Halomonas or Paracoccus that can be safely used in foodstuff, in a quantity of 1Ã—108 to 5Ã—1010 cells per kg, in combination with a vegetable product having a natural nitrate content of 100 to 5,000 mg/kg, and a quantity of 10 to 2,000 g/kg of vegetable product based on its fresh weight, wherein the meat product is ripened or rests for 6 to 72 hours.