Antioxidant-rich extracts from sea buckthorn berries
(Hippophae rhamnoides) could inhibit the oxidation of unsaturated fatty
acids in processed meats and thereby boost shelf-life.
In recent research, these powerful extracts were found to be stable after
cooking and maintained the quality of chicken and turkey meat after six days of
storage, according to scientists from the Estonian University of Life Sciences
in the journal Food Chemistry.
Enriching poultry meat products
"It is safe to say that the processing residue of sea buckthorn juice is a
good functional supplement to mechanically deboned meat or hand deboned meat
products, guaranteeing inhibition of the oxidation of fatty acids as well as
enriching the meat products with plant-derived health-beneficial polyphenols,"
stated lead author Tonu Pussa, adding that the optimal 2% supplement of berry
powder does not deteriorate the organoleptic properties like taste, flavour or
texture of the patties prepared from the poultry MDM.
Natural alternative
These extracts from the berry could be a natural alternative to
artificial additives, such as butylhydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylhydroxytoluene
(BHT).
The researchers used the juice-free solid residue of sea buckthorn berries
to produce extracts for use as preservatives in the meat. The extracts,
containing mostly flavonols, were added at 1, 2 and 4% concentrations to MDM
chicken and turkey.
Using the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) test as a
measure of oxidation, Pussa and co-workers report a dose-dependent inhibition of
the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in both meats. During storage, about
50% of the antioxidants were lost in the turkey from oxidation, while a much
smaller loss was observed in the case of chicken MDM.
"The concentration of 2% is probably optimal for the sea buckthorn
supplement in both chicken and even in the highly oxidated turkey MDM," wrote
the researchers.
"A lower content of polyphenols is not sufficient to guarantee complete
inhibition of the fatty acid oxidation and leaving of part of the added
antioxidant polyphenols still in the composition. A still higher content of the
plant material may reduce the organoleptic properties of the patties made from
the MDM."
Source: Food Chemistry (Elsevier) Authors: T. Pussa, R. Pallin, P.
Raudsepp, R. Soidla, M. Rei