Investigation of the Protective Effect of β-carotene in the Prevention of Lipid and Protein Oxidation in Carp Meat during Different Storage Times

In vitro antioxidative activity of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don straw ethanolic extract and its effect on lipid, protein oxidation, and quality of Chinese-style sausage

Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don, which can be used for medicine and food, contains a variety of chemicals including polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoid, and others that have beneficial biological properties like antihypertension, bacteriostasis, and anti-inflammatory. The ethanolic extract of Fritillaria straw was obtained for this study using ultrasonic-aided extraction, and the amounts of total phenols and total flavonoids were 26.56 ± 1.36 mg GAE/g dw and 18.75 ± 0.80 mg RE/g dw, respectively. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry technology was utilized to identify 50 major chemicals in the Fritillaria straw extract (FSE). Meanwhile, the antioxidative activities of FSE were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assays in vitro, which pointed out the antioxidative potential of FSE. Additionally, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% of FSE and 0.02% butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) + butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (1:1) were separately added to Chinese-style sausage to study their effects on the lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, and quality of the sausage at different storage times. The study found that the effect of adding 1% FSE on carbonyl content, total volatile basic nitrogen, and TVC of sausage could achieve the effect of the 0.02% BHA + BHT (1:1) group on the 35th day, and the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value and peroxide value of sausage were significantly lower than the control group. Therefore, as one of the candidates to replace synthetic antioxidants, the FSE can be used in the production of Chinese sausages, which has a positive effect on improving the product's quality and extending the shelf life. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The antioxidative activities of 50 main compounds were identified after the ethanolic extraction of Fritillaria straw. This Fritillaria straw extract was added to Chinese sausage, effectively inhibiting the oxidation of lipids and proteins as well as the decomposition of proteins. Obviously, the Fritillaria straw extract, one of the choices to replace synthetic antioxidants, may be useful for future meat processing, because of its positive impact on the product's quality and shelf life.

How potentially sustainable solutions may be unsustainable in practice: carrot pomaces in common carp nutrition

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of carrot pomaces dried at two temperatures as a feed component on growth performance, environmental sustainability, and meat quality in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Three diets were developed: a control without pomace (CON); CPL with 15.5% carrot pomace dried at 40°C and CPH with 23.6% carrot pomace dried at 120°C. A total of 240 two-year-old common carp (average body weight of individual: 1025 g) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks, four per treatment, including 20 fish per tank. The experiment was performed using an outdoor open flow aquaculture system. The growth trial lasted 60 days, after which fish samples were taken for analysis of meat quality parameters. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of the final body weight, protein efficiency ratio, or survival rate. However, in terms of weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio, fish fed the CPH diet exhibited significant worsening. Moreover, the fillets of fish from the CPH group exhibited a darker coloration compared to the CON diet. It is concluded that high temperature drying of carrot pomace added to carp diet negatively affected fish quality. It should be also emphasized that inclusion of the both carrot pomaces tested in this study significantly increased the usage of fish meal per kilogram of fish body weight gain. These results showed a reduced efficacy of using carrot pomace in practical and sustainable common carp nutrition.