The effects of antioxidant combinations on color and lipid oxidation in n − 3 oil fortified ground beef patties

This study was carried out to determine an effective combination of chelators, reductants and free radical scavengers for enhancing color stability and minimizing lipid oxidation in muscle foods fortified with n − 3 fatty acids. Chelators (sodium tripolyphosphate, STPP; sodium citrate, CIT), reductants (sodium erythorbate, ERY) and radical scavengers (butylhydroxyanisole, BHA; mixed tocopherols from two different sources, 30 or 95TOC; rosemary extract, ROSE) were incorporated in various combinations into ground beef (15% fat) with or without n − 3 oil fortification (n = 8). Individually, STPP and CIT had no significant effect on a* values except day 4, but showed higher a* values when combined with ERY (STPP + ERY and CIT + ERY) (P < 0.05). CIT had lower hue angle values than STPP on days 4 and 6, but CIT + ERY showed more discoloration than STPP + ERY (P < 0.05). CIT + ERY showed less lipid oxidation than CIT alone (P < 0.05), whereas there was no difference between STPP and STPP + ERY. CIT + ERY + ROSE demonstrated higher a* values than CIT + ERY + 95TOC on days 4 and 6 (P < 0.05); there was no difference between ROSE and 95TOC groups when n − 3 oil was incorporated into ground beef patties (P > 0.05). The combination of ROSE and ERY appeared to be effective in slowing the decline of a* values. All antioxidant combinations were effective at delaying lipid oxidation when compared to CON or n − 3. A combination of CIT, ERY and ROSE was most effective for stabilizing color and delaying lipid oxidation.