The traditional meat products undergo microbial spoilage and lipid oxidation like other meat products because of their suitability as a medium for microbial growth, which in turn affect safety, quality and shelf life. In the case of traditional meat products like rista, ghostabha, kebab and several other products prepared in Kashmiri wazwan, organic acids or their salts have not been used to date. The present study was therefore aimed to evaluate the effect of different organic acid salts and storage conditions on various quality parameters of traditional meat products. Sodium diacetate (0.25%), potassium lactate (2.5%) and calcium lactate (2.5%) were used in three batches of traditional meat products. Sodium diacetate (SDA) treated samples showed lower total plate count (TPC) under refrigerated storage as compared to ambient storage. The SDA-treated sample retained the lowest value for TBARS (1.9 mg MDA/kg) and free fatty acid (3.2%) on the 15th day of refrigerated storage. Significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher values for L*, a* and b* were maintained by SDA treated samples as compared to control, potassium lactate (PL) and calcium lactate (CL) treated samples under refrigeration conditions throughout the storage period. Organic acid treatment improved the quality attributes of the meat product during the storage period. The use of organic acids as a preservative in these products will help in reducing the use of synthetic agents. Further increase in the shelf life of traditional meat products by application of organic acids will help in their commercialization, marketing and round the year availability.

Potassium lactate has shown bacteriostatic activity, thereby prolonging the shelf life of various meat products (Stekelenburg Kant-Muermans 2001). The pH lowering effect of sodium diacetate (SD) is responsible for its bactericidal effect and thus helps in the reduction of early bacterial load. Both PL and SD are FDA-approved and classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) ingredients in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. The higher inhibitory effect of calcium lactate against Listeria monocytogenes as compared to sodium or potassium lactate during refrigerated storage of pork liver sausage has been studied earlier (Weaver Shelef 1993). Keeping in view the various above-stated features of salts of organic acids, a need was sensed to use them as preservatives in traditional meat products. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of sodium diacetate (SDA), potassium lactate (PL) and calcium lactate (CL) on physicochemical properties and microbial load in traditional meat products (rista) during refrigerated and ambient storage.

Meatballs circular in shape with 60 mm diameter and 50-60 g in weight were formed manually from homogenous meat emulsion. These meatballs were then cooked into the gravy for about 25-30 min to get a palatable meat product. The finished product was then filled separately into sterilized glass jars (500 mL) along with the gravy. Four separate batches of filled bottles were created, each comprising 20 bottles to be subjected to treatments. The batch without any treatment was kept as a control. Batch second was treated with sodium diacetate at a concentration of 0.25% and was labeled as SDA, batch third was treated with potassium lactate (2.5%) and labeled as PL and batch fourth was treated with calcium lactate (2.5%) and labeled as CL. Out of 80 bottles developed, 40 bottles were stored at an ambient temperature of 25 ± 1 °C and the rest 40 bottles were refrigerated (4 ± 1 °C) for further storage studies.