Effect of plant phenolics on protein and lipid oxidation in cooked pork meat patties.

Rapeseed and pine bark are rich sources of phenolic compounds that have in previous studies been shown to exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, the antioxidant effect of rapeseed and pine bark phenolics in inhibiting the oxidation of lipids and proteins in meat was tested as a possible functional food application. The cooked pork meat with added plant material was oxidized for 9 days at 5 degrees C under light. The suitable level of plant material addition was first screened by following lipid oxidation only. For further investigations plant materials were added at a level preventing lipid oxidation by >80%. The oxidation was followed by measuring the formation of hexanal by headspace gas chromatography and the formation of protein carbonyls by converting them to 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones and measured by spectrophotometer. It was shown that rapeseed and pine bark were excellent antioxidants toward protein oxidation (inhibitions between 42 and 64%). These results indicate that rapeseed and pine bark could be potential sources of antioxidants in meat products.