Polyphenols from thinned young kiwifruit as natural antioxidant: Protective effects on beef oxidation, physicochemical and sensory properties during storage

Abstract

For the first time, polyphenols extracted from deserted thinned young kiwifruits were studied as natural antioxidant and assessed for their preservative effects on beef quality during 7 days of refrigerated storage. Young kiwifruit polyphenols (YKP) displayed high phenolic content (0.53 g epicatechin equivalent/g) and strong antioxidant activity (0.54 g epicatechin equivalent/g) with major constituents identified as epicatechin, quercitrin and catechin. Compared to control, epicatechin and potassium sorbate, YKP application was found to be able to inhibit TBARS and TVB-N formation, reduce fatty acid oxidation, alleviate discoloration and stabilize textural properties of beef. At day 7, YKP treated beef exhibited marked PUFA increment of 1.77-fold (0.88-fold in control) without significant alteration of sensory properties, evidenced by the overall sensorial score of 5.6 in YKP group and 5.1 in control. Our results provide theoretical support for the realistic application of YKP as natural replacer for synthetic preservatives in maintaining beef freshness.