Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) is an effective functional ingredient in retarding lipid oxidation of cooked rabbit meat patties.

In the present trial, the effect of a fermented rooibos tea extract as a natural antioxidant on the shelf-life of rabbit meat patties was investigated. With this purpose, three treatments with the inclusion of 0.5% (R1), 1% (R2) and 2% (R3) fermented rooibos tea extract were compared to a control group without any extract (C: 0%). The inclusion of 0.5%, 1% and 2% fermented rooibos tea extract lowered the peroxides content of rabbit meat patties compared to untreated ones (P<0.0001). Moreover, the rooibos presence affected also the pH values of rabbit meat patties, with R2 and R3 groups providing lower values compared to R1 and C groups (P