The effect of essential oils on the color stability of minced meat

Meat color is one of the important characteristics for consumers. There are various ways to reduce color deterioration in meat. Among them is application of antioxidants from different sources: fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative study of the effects of essential oils (peppermint Mentha spicata L., citrus (orange) Citrus sinensis, cinnamon Cinnamomum zeylanicum, rosemary Rosemarinus officinalis) on color stability of minced meat. The essential oils at the level of 1.0% were added to minced meat. Meat was held (1) for 15 min under a ultraviolet lamp, or; (2) packaged under vacuum and held for 5 days at 6 degrees C. Then, packages were opened and meat was held for 15 min under the ultraviolet lamp. Ultraviolet light had a great effect on reducing redness of control minced meat. Addition of essential oil promoted protection of the color indicators from deterioration under ultraviolet. However the use of natural antioxidants did not have a significant effect on the stability of yellowness in the meat. The color stability of meat decreased as a result of storage under vacuum mainly due to reduction, except for yellowness. Cinnamon and rosemary oil showed the greatest effect on color stability compared to other antioxidants.