Protective potential of onion eco-extract: safeguarding chicken patties from oxidative deterioration

Onions contain valuable phytochemical compounds, including quercetin derivatives. This study explores the potential of onion extract as a natural additive in chicken patties. The optimized conditions involved sonication at 80% for 5 min with a 75% ethanol concentration. The onion extract exhibited total phenolic and flavonoid compound values of 255.63 mg GAE g-1 DR and 196.87 mg QE g-1 DR, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the onion extract was characterized by an IC50 of 12.74 µg/mL. This onion extract was dominated by quercetin derivatives (quercetin 4'-O-β-glycoside and quercetin-3-O-β-glycoside and quercetin-3,4'-O-β-diglycoside). Chicken patties treated with 2% onion extract exhibited superior pH stability, lowest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level (0.40 mg/kg) and peroxide index (0.77 mEq O2/kg meat) and maintained color stability. Comparative analysis with BHT demonstrated the efficacy of onion extract in reducing lipid oxidation. These findings highlight the potential of a 2% onion extract as effective ingredient for enhancing the quality of chicken products.