Effect of oleuropein on the oxidative stability and storage quality of Tabaq-Maz, fried mutton ribs

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of oleuropein (olive leaf extract) on the oxidative stability and storage quality of Tabaq-Maz, popular traditional fried ribs. The products treated with different concentrations of oleuropein (0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9%) were aerobically packaged and assessed for various lipid stability and storage quality parameters under refrigerated (4 +/- 1 degrees C) conditions. Oleuropein (OLE) showed a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the oxidative stability as the treated products exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) lower TBARS (mg malonaldehyde/kg) and FFA (% oleic acid) values in comparison to control. A significant (P < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products as OLE treated products showed significantly (P < 0.05) lower values for total plate count (log cfu/g), psychrophillic count (log cfu/g) and yeast and mold count (log cfu/g). Significantly (P < 0.05) higher scores were also observed for various sensory parameters of the products treated with oleuropein. OLE successfully improved the lipid oxidative stability and storage quality of Tabaq-Maz and may be commercially exploited as a natural preservative in muscle foods. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.