Preserving Beef Quality with Natural Antioxidants

BACKGROUND Consumers spend less time and more money on home-prepared foods opting for convenience products such as pre-cooked entrees (Dumagan and Hackett, 1995). However, they demand acceptable color and flavor, whether the product is ready-tocook or ready-to-eat. Color and appearance of fresh meat are major factors in consumer purchase decisions because they are presumed to be indicators of meat quality and freshness (Brewer et al., 2002). These characteristics have a significant impact on consumer expectations of satisfaction (Robbins et al., 2003). Lipid oxidation and discoloration (myoglobin oxidation) reveal that color deterioration is an indicator of flavor deterioration (Djenane et al., 2003).