Effect of rosemary, echinacea, green tea extracts and ascorbic acid on broiler meat quality.

This study evaluated the effect of addition some plant extracts and ascorbic acid in presence of distilled water as the control on the broiler thigh meat color, subsequent lipid oxidation (TBARS) and rancidity development during frozen storage of chicken thigh meat. All the extracts were used in the density of 1000 ppm. The results showed that all the antioxidants had significant effect on lipid oxidation as measured by TBARS value during frozen storage at -20 degrees C for 120 days. However, lipid oxidation only occurred to a limited extent and was insufficient to cause rancid flavor development. The results also demonstrated that rosemary and green tea were the most effective antioxidants in stabilization of a* value. Echinacea, green tea and rosemary extracts were effective antioxidants and strongly inhibited oxidation. Present findings show that these plants extracts exhibit greater antioxidant efficiency compared to ascorbic acid.