The changes of nitrite content of all the samples during the fermentation were presented in Fig. 7. The nitrite content of all the samples gradually decreased during the whole fermentation. There were significant differences in nitrite content between the samples (P < 0.05). After 38 days fermentation, nitrite content of the sample inoculated with 7 log CFU/g of L. sakei C2 was the least (11.8 mg/kg), which was followed by the sample of inoculated with 5 log CFU/g of L. sakei C2 (22.4 mg/kg) and that of the control was the most (29.8 mg/kg).
During the whole fermentation, nitrite content of all the sam- ples of fermented sausages gradually decreased. Moreover, nitrite content in finial product significantly decreased with the increase of inoculum concentration of L. sakei C2 (P < 0.05). In the produc- tion of fermented meat, nitrite is the common additive used to produce the pink color, control the harmful microorganisms and prolong the shelf life (Hammes, 2012). However, nitrite is generally regarded as undesirable for toxicological reasons (Lundberg,