Effects of plant extracts on the quality and shelf life of meat products

This work explores the impact of extracts from three native plants of Kazakhstan, namely Rhodiola rosea, Artemisia dracunculus, and Hofarigon perforatum, on the quality and shelf life of beef during ۱۴ days of refrigerated storage. Meat samples treated with extracts at optimal concentrations (۰.۱ to ۰.۱۵%) were subjected to the assessment of oxidative, microbial, and sensory spoilage indices in stated time intervals. Considering the statistical analysis, it was found that all extracts delayed the process of lipid oxidation significantly (p < ۰.۰۵), such that the amount of TBARS in samples treated with R. rosea reached ۱.۲۴ mg kg-۱ on the final day, which is significantly reduced compared to the amount present in the control sample (۳.۴۵). Microbiologically, the total count of microorganisms in samples containing R. rosea extract remained below the critical limit of ۷ log CFU g-۱ during the ۱۰ days, while this critical limit was detected on the seventh day in the control sample. This significant superiority of the samples upon treatment was further confirmed by sensory evaluation, as the overall acceptance score of the Rhodiola sample on the final day attained the value of ۶.۰, while such value was recorded for the control sample at ۲.۵. Finally, it could be concluded that R. rosea extract, being the most effective treatment, was capable of overcoming both oxidative and microbial spoilage and extending the shelf life of meat for at least ۷ days. The study proved the efficiency of native plants from Kazakhstan as natural and safe alternatives to synthetic preservatives.

کلیدواژه ها:

Native plants of Kazakhstan ، Rhodiola rosea ، lipid oxidation ، Meat shelf life