Cherry (Prunus cerasus cv Montmorency) extract with standardised antioxidant potential as preservative for refrigerated storage of ground pork

Summary Antioxidants occurring naturally are much sought-after for their safety of use for human nutrition and strong preservative properties. The study was performed to determine the antioxidant potential of sour cherry extract and its effect (equivalent of 20 mg and 40 mg GAE kg−1) on the quality of ground pork patties during 8-day storage. The patties were analysed for antioxidant capacity, oxidation, profile of fatty acids, flavour, colour, sensory properties and aerobic bacteria count. Patties with addition of cherry extract (40 mg GAE kg−1) showed higher antioxidant capacity of 844 ± 149 μmol TE L-1 on the last day of the storage than the control group where the result was 480 ± 81 μmol TE L-1. The addition of extract caused lower overall increase in lipid oxidation and prevented loss of redness even on the last day of the storage. Flavour changes resulted from oxidation and decrease in the amount of desirable volatile compounds in storage. The application of the extract from Prunus cerasus combined with vacuum packaging inhibited both oxidation and quality deterioration of pork patties in cold storage.