Abstract Rabbit meat, a sustainable alternative to poultry with high biological value, was studied for the effects of Moringa oleifera leaves powder (MOLP) supplementation on rabbit meat nuggets. MOLP was added at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% concentrations, and storage stability was assessed over 20 days at 4 ± 2 °C. MOLP significantly reduced moisture (69.81% to 64.48%) due to higher fibre (0.93%), while increasing minerals (1.41–1.88%) and protein (16.71–23.51%). Total flavonoid content (0.76–3.49 mg QE/g) and phenolic content (0.97–0.69 mg GAE/g) increased, while lipid oxidation (0.54–0.45 mg TE/g) decreased. Microbial load was lower in MOLP-treated nuggets (31.88 CFU x 103/g) compared to control (62.17 CFU x 103/g) by day 20, indicating antimicrobial potential. Sensory evaluation revealed 1% MOLP maintained high acceptability. Over storage, moisture, TPC, and TFC decreased, while pH, TBARS, and texture parameters increased. MOLP shows potential as a natural substitute for synthetic food additives in meat processing, but optimization is required.
Munir et al. (Wed,) studied this question.