**David Ranucci 1,2, Rossana Roila 2, Egon Andoni 3, Paolo Braconi <sup>1</sup> and Ra**ff**aella Branciari 1,2,\***


Received: 18 November 2019; Accepted: 9 December 2019; Published: 10 December 2019 -

**Abstract:** Sausage made from pork meat, emmer wheat (*Triticum dicoccum* Schübler), almond (*Prunus dulcis* Mill.), and hazelnut (*Corylus avellana* L.) was integrated with a mix of *Punica granatum* and *Citrus* spp. extracts to evaluate the possible effects on the growth and oxidation of spoilage microorganisms. Two concentrations of the mix were added, respectively, during sausage-making, and the final products were compared with a control group, without the extract mix, during storage. The use of the mix, especially at 10 g/1000 g of the whole ingredients, delayed the pH drop and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) value during storage. Total viable count, lactic acid bacteria and psychrotrophic microbial counts were also affected, as the extract mix lowered the maximum growth rate of the microbial population considered. The sensory analyses revealed an improvement in the shelf-life of 6 and 16 days, respectively, when 5‰ and 10‰ of the mix were used.

**Keywords:** meat products; antioxidant; antimicrobials; shelf-life; plant extracts; pomegranate
