IPB Researchers Utilize Red Beet Fruit as a Dye in Making Corned Beef
Corned beef is one of the products made of boneless pieces of meat in fresh or frozen conditions. Generally corned beef is made through curing process with or without the addition of other food additives and processed with or without sterilization, then packed in a closed container.
The curing process aims to obtain a good product in terms of aroma, texture, delicacy, and stable product colours, as well as to extend the shelf life of meat products. One of the food additives that is usually used in making corned beef is nitrite. Nitrite is one of the food additives commonly used in food industry such meat processing industry.
Nitrite is used as a red meat stabilizer, antimicrobial substances and antioxidants. However, the use of nitrites in corned beef should also be considered. This is because it can have a negative impact on health when it is consumed in excessive amounts. Therefore, the addition of natural dye which is more secure and has high antioxidant content is required.
This is what underlies the research team of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Dr. Tuti Suryati and M. Sriduresta Soenarno, SPt. MSc, with a student of the Department of Animal Production and Technology, Faculty of Animal Sciences of IPB, Apriliana Widiastuti, to conduct a study using pure beet as a food additive in the corned beef making.
Pure beet (red beet) is chosen because it has the main component of betacyanin pigment which gives a purplish red colour. Betacyanin contained in this beet has antiradical effects and high antioxidant activity. The antioxidant content of red beet is in the form of vitamin C. The addition of beet is expected to affect the physicochemical characteristics and sensory of corned beef produced.
This study aimed to determine the effect of nitrite and pure beet additions to the physicochemical and organoleptic properties of corned beef. This study covered the making of corned beef, measurement of physicochemical characteristics and organoleptic properties of corned beef. Corned beef making includes the formulation of the ingredients, the addition of nitrite (zero ppm and 150 ppm) and the addition of pure beets (zero percent, 20 percent and 40 percent).
Based on the results of research, the addition of beet can increase water content and red colour in corned beef. The addition of pure beet of up to 40 percent both with and without curing with nitrite salt produces a red colour with a soft texture and a strong beet flavour. The best treatment is by adding 20 percent pure beet. It can be concluded that the addition of 20 percent pure beet can be used as a natural dye on the processing of corned beef with good organoleptic quality. (TK)
