The main functions of nitrite, which is the most frequently used additive in meat products, are to develop typical taste and aroma of cured meat, to prevent lipid oxidation, to create the typical color of cured meat production by reacting with myoglobin, and to produce an antimicrobial effect (Marco et al., 2006). However, since nitrite causes the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds, the studies concentrated on other additives (Zarringhalami et al., 2009). Studies were carried out on the alternative additives, which fulfill various functions of nitrate and nitrite in the processed meat products such as antimicrobial, anti-oxidative, and colorization effects formation and which pose a lower level of health risk in comparison to nitrate and nitrite (Öztürk et al., 2015). Since nitrate/nitrite has various functions in meat, no single additive that could fulfill all these functions could be found. Besides decreasing or preventing the use of nitrite in meat products by making use of natural elements, organic acids, irradiation, pressure applications, and hazard technology were also investigated in the previous studies (Turp & Sucu, 2016).Thyme is an important herb, thanks to its high thymol concentration. Previous studies revealed the anti-oxidative, antimi-