Effects of ascorbic acid and antioxidants on the color of irradiated ground beef

Irradiation significantly decreased the redness of ground beef (P < 0.05), and the visible color of beef changed from a bright red to a green/brown, depending on the age of meat. Addition of ascorbic acid (0.1%, wt/wt) in ground beef prior to irradiation prevented color changes in irradiated beef, and the effect of ascorbic acid became greater as the age of meat or storage time after irradiation increased. Ground beef with added ascorbic, acid had significantly lower oxidation-reduction potential than the control (P < 0.05), and the low oxidation-reduction potential of meat helped maintain the heme pigments in reduced form. Sesamol + alpha-tocopherol had no effect in stabilizing color of irradiated beef.