Effects of Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) Leaf Ethanolic Extracts on Lipid Oxidation and Microbial Activity in Refrigerated Raw Ground Pork

This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant effects of pumpkin leaf extracted using a 50 % ethanol on ground pork during storage. The pumpkin leaf extracts were added at concentrations of 0.05 (PE-0.05), 0.1 (PE-0.1), and 0.2 % (PE-0.2) to ground pork, and 0.05 % of ascorbic acid (As-0.05) was added as a control. Each sample was collected after 1, 4, 7, and 10 d of storage and the pH, total viable counts (TVC), conjugated dienes (CD), free fatty acids (FFA), and thiobarbituric reaction substance (TBARS) values were measured. The pH of the pork samples decreased until day 7, and then increased thereafter, except for the control and PE-0.05 sample. Lower CIE a * values were observed for pork samples containing PE relative to As-0.05 at increasing storage time (p<0.05). The addition of PE decreased the TVC, CD, FFA and TBARS values levels in the ground pork when compared to the control during 10 d of storage. These results indicate that PE can produce notable effects on meat products, such as inhibiting lipid oxidation and discoloration. Key words: pumpkin leaf, lipid oxidation stability, shelf-life stability, ground por