A comparative study of tea catechins and α-tocopherol as antioxidants in cooked beef and chicken meat

The effects of tea catechins (TC) on improving oxidative stability of cooked chicken meat and beef compared with those of α-tocopherol (VE) were investigated. Fresh meats, purchased from a local market, were trimmed to remove skin and visible fat and minced through a 4 mm plate. The ground meat from each species was treated with 1% NaCl (S), 300 mg TC kg–1 minced meat (TC300), 1% NaCl plus 300 mg TC kg–1 minced meat (TCS), 300 mg VE kg–1 minced meat (VE300) and 1% NaCl plus 300 mg VE kg–1 minced meat (VES), respectively. Patties (50 g), prepared from treated and untreated minced meat, were cooked until the core temperature reached 75 °C, cooled to room temperature and held in a refrigerated (4 °C) illuminated (616 lux) display cabinet for 10 days. Oxidative stability (TBARS) was measured on days 1, 3, 6 and 10. The susceptibility of cooked meat to lipid oxidation was species dependent. Chicken meat was more susceptible to oxidative deterioration than beef. NaCl promoted lipid oxidation in cooked chicken meat and beef in this study. The lipid oxidation in cooked chicken meat was more effectively controlled by TC, compared to cooked beef. Both VE and TC significantly (p<0.05) improved oxidative stability for cooked beef and chicken meat. However, the inhibition of lipid oxidation resulting from TC was more effective than that for VE. Both VE and TC inhibited the pro-oxidant effect of NaCl, but the synergistic action was only found between salt and TC.