Effectiveness of Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants in Reducing the Oxidative Rancidity Caused by Electron Beam Irradiation of Fresh Ground Pork

The goal of the research was to determine the effects of adding natural and synthetic antioxidants to ground pork prior to electron beam irradiation on 2- thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, color, storage loss, cooking loss, shear strength, and pH. The antioxidants evaluated were propyl gallate (PG), butylated hydroxianisole (BHA), tertiary butylated hydroquinone (TBHQ), S3 (a combination of BHA, PG, and citric acid), extract of sage (SW), and extract of rosemary (W). The antioxidants were incorporated into the pork at 0.02% of the sample fat content. The samples received dosages of 0, 1.1, and 4.5 kGy from the Linear Accelerator at Iowa State University. All antioxidant treatments resulted in significantly lower TBA values than the untreated control over all dosages. The physical properties were significantly affected by the antioxidant treatments with the exceptions of cooking loss and storage loss