## 4 Discussion  
To characterize and compare products, the actual NaCl and nitrite contents as well as water activity were determined. These attributes, along with nutrients, affect microbial growth in food products during their storage and influence their safety as well. In the production of sausages used in the study different curing technologies were used--the conventional with the direct addition of nitrite to the meat batter, and the alternative,  
Figure 1: Changes in \(L\). _monocytogenes_ counts (log\({}_{10}\) CFU/g) in control and alternatively cured (AC) sausages during storage. Vertical bars refer to standard deviation; \({}^{\text{a,b}}\) values noted in AC products with different letters differ at \(p<0.05\); \({}^{\star}\)—values noted in control products with the same letter did not differ (\(p>0.05\)); \({}^{\star}\) differences between control and AC significant at \(p<0.01\); \({}^{\star}\) differences between control and AC significant at \(p<0.05\). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l} \hline \hline
**Attribute** & **Control** & **AC** \\ \hline Initial counts (log\({}_{10}\) CFU/g) & 2.75 (0.18) & 2.66 (0.32) \\ The highest counts (log\({}_{10}\) CFU/g) & 2.96 (0.24) & 3.30 (0.18) \\ Growth potential & 0.21 & 0.64 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: \(L\). _monocytogenes_ growth potential in control (produced with the addition of nitrite) and alternatively cured (AC) sausages (mean values and standard deviation in the brackets). without the direct nitrite addition. However, in both product types, nitrite was detected. As expected, it was higher in control products because of adding sodium nitrite to the batter. Although the concentration of nitrite in alternatively cured sausages was almost four times lower than in control samples, they were not free from nitrite. Most probably, nitrite presence in AC sausages resulted from the use of spices or spices extracts, which are natural sources of nitrates [22]. During the production of alternatively cured meat products a microbial culture able to convert nitrates (present in plant sources used and/or in meat) to nitrites is used to achieve the desirable color of the product. This involves the action of nitrate-reducing bacteria [16]. The presence of nitrites in sausages produced without the use of any food additive (alternatively cured) was also shown by [PERSON] et al. [23]. In their study, fermented sausages were produced from pork meat macerated in water, red wine, garlic paste, piri-piri and sweet red pepper paste [23]. Moreover, some amounts of nitrite (0.065-0.073 mg/kg) and nitrate (3.830-5.063 mg/kg) were detected in raw pork meat before any technological operation involved in fermented sausage production [23]. A nitrate concentration in the range from 7.8 to 25.2 mg/kg was also detected in 40% of raw pork samples by [PERSON] et al. [24], however 100% of pork meat samples were free from nitrites. This indicated that the source of nitrites and nitrates in alternatively cured meat products might be both--plant-origin ingredients and meat itself. As it was pointed out by [PERSON] [24], the presence of sodium nitrate in AC \"clean label\" products needs to be interpreted with caution, to avoid the risk of characterizing them mistakenly as adulterated. In the present study, it was shown that _L. monocytogenes_ was able to grow in sausages produced without the direct addition of nitrite (growth potential coefficient over 0.5). This might be explained by the fact that the use of nitrates alone in food does not bring satisfactory results in the control of _L. monocytogenes_. Used in the form of a food additive, nitrates in amounts allowed by current legal regulations are insufficient to inhibit the development of the pathogen; to obtain complete inactivation of the bacteria in meat, as much as 800 ppm of sodium nitrate [2; 25] is needed. _L. monocytogenes_ counts did not increase in the control, conventionally cured sausages during storage. In contrast, a significant increase in the number of _L.