Oxidative Stability of Cooked Comminuted Lean Pork as Affected by Alkali and Alkali‐Earth Halides

Lipid oxidation of comminuted lean pork containing alkali or alkali‐earth metals (at 100 or 200 meq/kg sample) was monitored over a 7‐day storage at 4°C using the 2‐thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS) test. For samples exhibiting an antioxidative effect, further studies were carried out to determine their content of volatiles. Fluorides and iodides of alkali metals inhibited lipid oxidation in meat model systems as reflected in TBARS values and hexanal contents. A high correlation (r = 0.9263) existed between hexanal contents and TBARS values of treated meat. Chloride and bromide salts of alkali and alkali‐earth metals exhibited a slight prooxidative influence on lipid oxidation. Fluorides of alkali‐earth metals did not exhibit antioxidant activity, presumably due to an ion‐pairing mechanism, while their iodide analogues retained antioxidative activity.