The consumers possibly choose the products according to the
colour as the primary quality parameter; hence usage of colouring
agents is believed to be necessary for producers. Tomato powder
can be used in the production of frankfurters as a colorant to obtain
a red colour. Ascorbic acid and its salts would be beneficial as
a cooperative additive to curing agents to increase the conversion of
nitrite to nitrosomyoglobin and for the formation of a redder colour
in the samples, together with tomato powder. Increased level of
tomato powder gave more acceptable products according to
sensory evaluations, but the oxidation level should also be
considered in order to determine the level of tomato powder that
will be used in frankfurters. It was observed that TBA value
increased by addition of 4 g/100 g of tomato powder; however, it
did not increase for the samples containing 2 g/100 g of tomato
powder. Due to this fact, it is suggested that the level of nitrite in
frankfurters can be lowered and the shelf life can be prolonged by
using sufficient amount of natural additives like tomato powder.
The nitrite level could be decreased to 50 mg/kg in the presence of
4 g/100 g tomato powder; however, the antioxidant effect and the
colour were more significant at 100 mg/kg nitrite and 2 g/100 g of
tomato powder. The effect of products produced with tomato
powder on health should also be investigated considering the many
positive effects of tomato powder on human health.