Addition of different rosemary preparations ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) to chicken meatballs improves their quality profile

Summary Effect of rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) preparations in baked, vacuum‐packed meatballs from chicken meat during 14 days of storage at +4 °C was assessed. The meatballs were divided into the following groups: RD−with 1.0% of dried spice, REE40 and REE70−with 2.0% of ethanol extracts: 40% ( v / v ) and 70% ( v / v ), respectively, and REO−with 0.1% of essential oil. The CONTROL product did not contain added rosemary. In chicken meatballs, the antioxidant stability was determined, microbiological analyses as well as sensory evaluation were performed. After 14 days of storage, the strongest antioxidant activity in the chicken meatballs exhibited rosemary ethanol extracts. Compared with the CONTROL, the REE70 and REO had the best microbiological quality at the end of the storage period. All products with rosemary were sensory acceptable; however, the highest scores in the evaluation of all sensory attributes were obtained by the RD treatment.