Objectives: To determine cured characteristics, physicochemical properties as well as sensory profiles of frankfurters produced with either nitrite salt or common salt with or without Ocimum gratissimum extract leaf extracts.

Materials and methods: Five treatments were formulated to produce 5 kg each of frankfurters from pork and beef with and without nitrite salt, Ocimum gratissimum leaf extract or common salt. Proximate composition, cooking loss, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking yield, pH, water activity (Aw), objective color and residual nitrite and nitrate were determined.

Results: No significant differences (p> 0.05) were observed for b* (yellowness) of all frankfurters. Frankfurters produced with common salt only recorded significantly higher (p<0.05) water activity compared to those with either nitrite salt or common salt-OG combinations. Nitrite salt or OG-common salt as cure ingredients did not significantly (p>0.05) influence the water holding capacity of frankfurters. But the use of common salt alone resulted in significantly (p<0.05) lower water holding capacities. No significant (p>0.05) differences were observed in the pH of meat batters for which reason their cooking loss values were also not significantly (p>0.05) different. The proximate compositions as well as sensory profiles of frankfurters were also not different significantly (p>0.05).

Conclusions: Frankfurters produced with Ocimum gratissimum and common salt resulted in similar cured characteristics and sensory properties of those produced nitrite salt, and these characteristics were better than using common salt only.