Study of Antioxidant Effects of Alcoholic Extract of Mentha longifolia on Fat Oxidation of High-Consumption Meat Products in Tabriz

Abstract

Background: Fat peroxidation is one of the problems in food processing, cooking, and storage. Oxidative changes cause pathological effects in biological systems and reduce the taste and quality and ultimately spoil food. Using aromatic plants and vegetables with antioxidant properties can play an important role in preventing these adverse effects. The antioxidant effects of Mentha longifolia have been considered in recent years.This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of the peppermint plants and determine its protective effect on lipid oxidation of high-consumption meat products in Tabriz. Methods: To this end, aqueous-alcoholic extract of mint leaves and twigs with concentrations of 0.1%, 1%, 5% with homogeneous mixtures of 10%, 90% meat hamburger products, and 45% sausages were exposed. Lipid oxidation was measured by measuring malondialdehyde using the TBARS method on day 0 and after 42 days of exposure to peppermint extract at 0-4 °C and was compared with the control group. Results: The results showed that increasing the shelf life of meat mixtures significantly increases fat peroxidation (P = 0.05). Also, increasing the concentration of peppermint extract in meat solution samples significantly reduces the amount of malondialdehyde (P = 0.05). The results showed the antioxidant activity of peppermint during the storage time of meat products and its benefits can be used in the food industry. Conclusion: The present study showed that peppermint extracts have strong antioxidant activity and can be used in food and biological systems and can be used as a substitute for synthetic antioxidants to reduce their harmful effects on health.