Rosemary as natural antioxidant to prevent oxidation in chicken burgers

Abstract Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is known for their sensory characteristics and antioxidant properties, mainly due to the presence of several phenolic compounds. The aim of this work, was determine the antioxidant activity and apply the Rosemary lyophilized extract (RLE) in chicken burger, for assess their ability to reduce the lipid oxidation. Total antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds profile were analyzed by colorimetric tests and liquid chromatography analysis, respectively. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay was used to evaluate the ability of the RLE to prevent lipid peroxidation in chicken burger stored at 4 °C. Three treatments of chicken burgers were prepared (T1 – control, without addition of synthetic antioxidant BHT: butylated hydroxytoluene or RLE), T2 – with addition of BHT, and T3 – experimental, containing RLE). The high contents of total phenolic compounds (40.91 mg GAE g-1: Gallic Acid Equivalent) and total flavonoids (24.26 mg QE g-1: Quercetin Equivalents) were found in RLE. Rutin was the major phenolic compound identified in the RLE. The RLE showed strong antioxidant capacity and inhibited 48.29% of lipid oxidation (21 days of storage) in comparison to the control (T1), with low production of malonaldehyde, which has potential to be used in chicken burgers