Abstract The demand for natural ingredients in meat products has increased due to consumer concerns regarding the safety of synthetic additives. Plant-derived compounds with antioxidant and coloring properties represent promising alternatives for clean-label formulations. This study evaluated the use of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower (HRF) powder as a natural colorant and antioxidant in frozen lamb burgers. Six treatments were tested: control, BHT, and four HRF levels (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 g/100 g). Burgers were stored at − 20 °C for up to 90 days and analyzed for physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties. HRF affected instrumental color ( P < 0.001), increasing redness and hue angle. pH was not affected by treatments ( P = 0.195), and although no differences were observed for TBARS ( P = 0.784), the values remained below the threshold for sensory detection in all treatments. Cooking weight loss was reduced in the HRF1.5 and HRF2.0 treatments ( P = 0.0006). HRF0.5 received higher scores for tenderness ( P < 0.001) and juiciness ( P = 0.001) compared to the control, and was preferred in appearance ( P = 0.033) over BHT. These findings indicate that HRF powder can enhance key technological and sensory attributes in lamb burgers and may be used as a clean-label alternative to synthetic additives. Graphical abstract
Alencar et al. (2026) studied this question.