Investigating antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of liquid smoke and physical‐chemical stability of bacon subjected to liquid smoke and conventional smoking

Abstract Liquid smoke, an alternative to traditional wood burning smoking, enhances product value by imparting desirable characteristics such as aroma, flavor, and color. Furthermore, it contains components with inherent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This study compares the effects of liquid smoke and conventional smoking methods in bacon processing. Over a 90‐day storage period at 22°C, physical‐chemical stability, sensory attributes, and microbiological characteristics of the bacon were evaluated. The antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of liquid smoke were assessed. Liquid smoke exhibited antioxidant activity, with an inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) value of 0.19 mg/mL, indicating the concentration of the extract needed to inhibit 50% of DPPH (2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) radicals. Moreover, it demonstrated antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli , Salmonella choleraesius , Staphylococcus aureus , and Listeria monocytogenes , with a minimum bactericidal concentration ranging from 7.5% to 10%. Throughout the storage, bacon treated with liquid smoke showed no signs of rancid odor, supported by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values below 0.85 mg MDA/kg (where MDA is malondialdehyde). The utilization of liquid smoke yielded visually attractive bacon with enhanced color attributes, including a distinct yellow and red hue, as well as increased luminosity and brightness, surpassing the effects of traditional smoke. Remarkably, liquid smoke application significantly reduced processing time from 30 h to approximately 5 h, leading to substantial cost savings in the processing phase.