Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Rosemary Powder and Its Application to Pork Patties as an Antioxidant during Refrigerated Storage

This study was performed to assess the antioxidant activity of rosemary powders (RP) and powders of a 50% ethanol rosemary extract (REP) of particle size of <500 μm.In addition, we evaluated the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of pork patties containing RP or REP.RP and REP had DPPH radical scavenging activities similar to ascorbic acid.The reducing power of REP was similar to that of ascorbic acid and greater than that of RP (P<0.05).Iron chelating abilities didn't differ at concentrations higher than 0.5% in the treatment groups, however the total phenolic compound content of REP was higher than that of RP (P<0.05).The additions of RP or REP into pork patties reduced lightness (L * ) and redness (a * ) values but increased yellowness (b * ).TBARS and VBN values of pork patties containing RP or REP were lower than those of non-added controls (P<0.05).However, additions of RP or REP did not affect microbial counts during storage (P>0.05).This study shows rosemary powder could be used as a natural antioxidant to retard lipid oxidation in meat products during refrigerated storage and that the powder prepared by the ethanol extract has a more potent antioxidant activity than the regular powder.