Prevention of Lipid Oxidation in Precooked Turkey Meat Patties with Hot Packaging and Antioxidant Combinations

Effect of L-cysteine, Boswellia serrata, and Whey Protein on the Antioxidant and Physicochemical Properties of Pork Patties

This study investigated the effects of L-cysteine (C) combined with Boswellia serrata (B) and whey protein (W) on the antioxidant and physicochemical properties of pork patties. Proximate composition, water holding capacity (WHC), pH, texture profile analysis, sensory evaluation, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), DPPH radical-scavenging activity, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), and color stability were assessed. Patty VBN gradually increased throughout the storage period. However, VBN for the C treatment increased relatively slowly, indicating that cysteine can delay spoilage and extend the shelf life of patties. The protein content of the whey powder treatment group increased to a greater extent than that of the C and control (CON) groups. Pork patties supplemented with antioxidants showed significantly higher WHC and significantly lower cooking loss and hardness than the CON. Moreover, the addition of 2% whey, 1% B. serrata, and 0.25% cysteine (WBC) significantly enhanced the relative DPPH radical-scavenging activity and sensory characteristics of the patties. After 7-day storage, the MetMb and TBARS values of all treatments were significantly lower than those of the untreated. The results indicated that there was synergy among the cysteine, B. serrata, and whey protein. This finding is of great importance to the production of high-quality pork patties with enhanced shelf life.

Lipid oxidation and its implications to meat quality and human health

Lipid oxidation not only negatively influences the sensory characteristics but also the functional characteristics of meat. During the process, various primary and secondary by-products are formed depending upon the types of fatty acids, oxygen availability, and the presence of pro- and antioxidants. Some of the lipid oxidation products only influence the quality of meat but others are implicated to various diseases and human health. Therefore, prevention of lipid oxidation in meat is important for meat quality and for human health as well. The imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants that favors oxidants in the biological system is called oxidative stress in the body. Although the body is equipped with defense enzymes and antioxidant compounds, there are many sources of oxidants or free radicals that can destroy the oxidants/antioxidants balance. Therefore, supply of extra antioxidants through food can help maintaining the balance in favor of antioxidants and help preventing various diseases and malfunctions of our body.

Dietary versus post-mortem use of oregano oil and/or α-tocopherol in turkeys to inhibit development of lipid oxidation in meat during refrigerated storage

The dietary and post-mortem uses of oregano oil in turkeys to inhibit development of lipid oxidation in breast and thigh meat during refrigerated storage were investigated. Using minced meat, patties were prepared from turkey meat post-mortem added with either 200 mg oregano oil or alpha-tocopherol/kg, meat from turkeys dietary supplemented with either 200 mg oregano oil or alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg feed, and control meat. All patties were cooked, placed in a refrigerated cabinet at 4 degrees C, and lipid oxidation was assessed by monitoring malondialdehyde formation after 3, 6 and 9 days of storage. Treatments significantly (P<0.05) retarded lipid oxidation in both breast and thigh meat patties at all storage times compared with controls. The dietary supplementation of either oregano oil or alpha-tocopheryl acetate exhibited the highest antioxidative activity compared with the other treatments. Post-mortem addition of either oregano oil or alpha-tocopherol to the minced meat also retarded lipid oxidation in the prepared patties compared with controls; however, this effect was inferior to that of the dietary supplementation even though the post-mortem alpha-tocopherol supplemented meat contained 90-fold more alpha-tocopherol than patties from the dietary supplemented meat. Thigh meat was more susceptible to oxidation than breast meat, although the former contained alpha-tocopherol at markedly higher levels. Supplementing the diet with 200 mg oregano oil/kg, alpha-tocopherol levels in the breast and thigh meat significantly (P<0.05) increased compared with control. This increase could not be attributed to the alpha-tocopherol already present in the oregano oil since post-mortem addition of oregano oil to control breast and thigh meat at the same dose could not actually increase the alpha-tocopherol concentrations.