Summary Quality and safety parameters of Atlantic bonito gravad during 42 days of storage at 7 ± 1 °C were analysed using monitoring sensory quality, microbial contamination, nucleotide degradation products, biogenic amines (BA), trimethylamine (TMA) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The shelf‐life of vacuum packed Atlantic bonito gravad was found to be 28 days. Total viable count (TVC) did not exceed 6 log CFU g−1. Malonodialdehyde (MDA) content did not surpass 10 mg kg−1. Nine biogenic amines were detected. Histamine level at the end of the storage was 355.3 mg kg−1. TMA increased from 53.9 to 619.1 mg kg−1. Among indicators based on the products of nucleotide degradation, the H value is best correlated with the sensory assessment. It can be concluded that the storage temperature of bonito gravad must be below 7 °C to prevent the threat to safety and quality posed by biogenic amines, especially histamine.

The characteristic features of traditional cottage sausage were analysed. In addition, the extent to which manufacturers create product diversity on the market was investigated, along with potential health risks of the product to consumers. The samples had high overall sensory scores. The average level of fat slightly exceeded 28%, cholesterol content was in the range of 435.4–1220.3 mg/kg and salt content was 1.53–2.77%. Some manufacturers do not cure their product, but about 20% of them apply nitrites above the level of 150 mg/kg. Due to their relatively high pH level (5.76–6.60) and water activity (0.95–0.98), Polish cottage sausage can be a medium which encourages the growth of microorganisms; however, pathogenic bacteria were not found. Histamine was detected in only 42% of the samples, at the low level of 2.6 to 34.2 mg/kg. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied and the dominant variables were specified for particular PCs.

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