Abstract
The global meat industry is characterised by a growing interest in natural preservative additives. This study determined the effect of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil (SBEO) on colour and lipid oxidation in minced beef. The phytoconstituents of SBEO were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Thereafter, minced beef samples from Nguni and Boran cattle were treated with either no additives (control, C) or SBEO added at 2% (SB2), 4% (SB4), or 6% (SB6). The meat samples were aerobically packaged and stored (4 ± 1°C) for seven days for measurement of lightness (L⁎), redness (a⁎), yellowness (b⁎), hue, chroma, and lipid oxidation (acid-reactive substances, TBARS) on days 0, 4, and 7. Thirty-two bioactive compounds with reported antioxidant and antimicrobial and activities were identified in SBEO, including Estragole (41.40%), 1, 6-Octadien-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl (29.49%), and trans-.alpha.-Bergamotene (5.32%). On days 0, 4, and 7, SB2, SB4, and SB6 had higher (P < 0.05) L⁎, a⁎, b⁎, hue, and chroma values; and on days 0 and 4 TBARS were lower (P < 0.05) in SB2 and SB4 than C and SB6. The addition of 2% and 4% SBEO improved colour and lipid oxidative stability, demonstrating potential for its use as a natural antioxidant additive in meat.
Highlights
The use of antioxidants as preservatives has been instrumental in improving the quality and extending the shelf life of muscle foods, especially during processing and storage [1]
Our result demonstrated that the main constituents in the essential oil were Estragole (41.40%), 1,6-Octadien-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl (29.49%), trans-.alpha.-Bergamotene (5.32%), Eucalyptol (3.51), Citral (3.31%), N-Cyano-3-methylbut-2-enamine (3.08%), cis.alpha.-Bisabolene (1.92%), Levomenthol (1.81%), and beta.Myrcene (1.11%)
The findings show that adding sweet basil essential oil can protect ground beef against lipid oxidation
Summary
The use of antioxidants as preservatives has been instrumental in improving the quality and extending the shelf life of muscle foods, especially during processing and storage [1]. This is because meat and meat products are susceptible to oxidation and microbial contamination due to their chemical composition and rapid depletion of endogenous antioxidants postmortem [2]. Reports have shown that live muscle contains relative amount of endogenous antioxidants, including alpha-tocopherol, histidine-containing dipeptides, ubiquinone, glutathione, carnosine, and anserine, which are capable of scavenging free radicals and disrupting oxidative process in vivo [2,3,4]. Antioxidants are abundantly found in a wide range of natural sources including fruits, herbs grains, spices, nuts, seeds, leaves, and roots [6]
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