ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF MESQUITE HONEY ON PORK SAUSAGES DURING STORAGE

Lipid oxidation and microbial growth are factors associated with meat product quality loss. Different synthetic additives are used to reduce both processes, but their use has been linked to health risks. Thus, the use of natural ingredients has been suggested as a strategy to prevent these factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mesquite honey on the oxidative stability and microbial growth of uncooked and cooked pork sausages during refrigerated storage. Pollen origin, moisture, and phenolic compound content of collected honey were evaluated, and the data were only presented as descriptive statistics. The effect of a natural additive (mesquite honey at 5 and 10 %) and two synthetic additives (caffeic acid phenethyl ester at 100 and 200 ppm and butylhydroxytoluene at 0.02 %) on oxidative stability and microbial growth were also measured, and the data were subjected to a two-way analysis of variance. All data were obtained from three independent experiments. Results showed that honey samples had a moisture content of 15.8 %, and Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. (mesquite) was the dominant pollen identified (> 45 %). In addition, kaempferol, pinocembrin, caffeic acid, and luteolin were the major phenolic compounds in mesquite honey. The inclusion of mesquite honey in uncooked and cooked pork sausages increased oxidative stability by reducing pH and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and decreased microbial growth by reducing mesophilic and psychrophilic counts. The addition of mesquite honey to uncooked pork sausages reduced color changes and MMb development. Furthermore, during storage, the concentration of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) decreased. This study found that mesquite honey has greater potential as a natural antioxidant and antibacterial ingredient for uncooked and cooked pork sausages than synthetic additives.