PSXII-21 Antioxidant effect of yerba mate extract, included in finishing lamb diets on quality and conservation of meat

In the conservation of meat, antioxidant substances are used to help to increase meat’s shelf-life, since it is a product susceptible to oxidation. Most of these substances are synthetic origin and their long-term use can affect human health, because of that, change those chemicals to natural additives is a goal. That substances can be used directly in the meat or added to animal feed and its compounds can keep meat shelf-life by keeping the physical-chemical characteristics of the meat and provide benefits to the health of consumers. So the objective of this project is to use yerba mate extract (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire) as a natural antioxidant in the quality of lamb meat, verifying shelf life. Samples were collected the muscle Longissimus (L) from 36 lamb (Ille de France x Dorper x Santa Ines), those animals was divided at 4 groups receiving one of the diets: T1, T2, T3 and T4 (0,1, 2 and 4% of extract). The meat samples were exposed in plastic film during 0, 3 and 6 days, analyzed the values of pH, color (brightness=L, red value=a, yellow=b) e TBARS (reactive thiobarbituric acid). All data were statistically evaluated using the MIXED procedure of the statistical package SAS. The results show that pH, color and TBARS values were influenced by the exposure time (P < 0.0001); since as the exposure time increases, the meat more easily oxidizable. The dietary treatment at pH (P 0.2376), L*, a* and b* parameters (P0.1040), (P0.4207) and (P0.0029) respectively, in addition to the lipid oxidation value (P 0.4492) did not affect these parameters. The interaction Diet × Time had no effect on the pH value (P 0.1601), nor for the values of color L*, a*, and b* (P 0.8003), (P 0.7063) and (P 0.1369) as well as for the values of TBARS (P 0.4953).