Effects of water extract of Urtica dioica L. and modified atmosphere packaging on the shelf life of ground beef.

Effects of lyophilized Urtica dioica L. water extract (LUWE) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the quality and shelf life of ground beef were investigated. Ground beef was stored as aerobic control, MAP (80%O(2)+20% CO(2)), MAP+250 ppm LUWE and MAP and 500 ppm LUWE at 2+/-0.5 degrees C for 14 days. MAP and LUWE had significant effects on mesophilic, psychrotrophic and lactic acid bacteria and Pseudomonas counts. Depending on the level of LUWE, Pseudomonas and psychrotrophic counts decreased. Treatment with 500 ppm LUWE+MAP showed the lowest TBARS values compared to other groups during storage. 80% O(2)-MAP increased TBARS values. Treatment had no significant effect on L* and b* values of the exterior of the ground beef, but had significant effects on the color of interior sections. Copyright (c) 2010 The American Meat Science Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.