Plant by-product antioxidants: control of protein-lipid oxidation in meat and meat products

Abstract

Protein-lipid oxidation is one of the main causes of quality deterioration in meat and meat products during processing and storage. The application of natural antioxidants in muscle food appears a sustainable option for reducing the consumption of synthetic antioxidants with confirmed carcinogenic and toxicological effects. Hence, the food industry today prefers low-cost natural additives instead of synthetic ones. Agro-food industry generates a large quantity of plant by-products annually during the cultivation and processing of agricultural products. There is a wide variety of natural antioxidants in plant by-products. Several parts of plant (seeds, peels, leaves, husks, stems, and roots) as unexploited novel sources of natural antioxidant can be applied either through technological strategies to control oxidative process in meat and meat products. This paper provides an overview of the current trends in the use of natural antioxidants from plant by-products for potential applications against protein–lipid oxidation in muscle food. In addition, the effect of encapsulation of plant by-product antioxidants on the protein–lipid oxidation of meat and meat products is reviewed.