MEAT+POULTRY - November 2015 - 29

INGREDIENT ESSENTIALS * ADVERTORIAL

Unique Plant Extract Trio Improves Visual Appeal of Meat
and Poultry, Reducing Discards and Discounts

DAY 1

Food loss and waste are growing
concerns around the world. The Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations estimates that
about one third of the food produced
globally for human consumption-
approximately 1.3 billion tons every
year-is lost or wasted. Accidental
or intentional, this discard at both
the retail and consumer levels has
far-reaching social, economic and environmental ramifications. In the meat
and poultry industries, loss can occur
Untreated
Rosemary
Green Tea and
Acerola, Green
Rosemary Extracts Tea and Rosemary
when product loses visual appeal, with
Extract
Extracts
or without microbial spoilage.
"Humans are visually oriented," said
Herbert Stone, spokesperson and
past-president, Institute of Food Technologists, Chicago, and an authority
on sensory science based in Menlo
Park, Calif. "What we see directly impacts our expectations about the taste
of that product.
"When consumers shop, their choices are impacted by how the product
appears," said Dr. Stone. "This is a
problem when it comes to packaged
meat and poultry products that are
susceptible to surface oxidation. The
Acerola cherry extract is effective at delaying the oxidation of the heme iron in myoglobin. When
consumer is unlikely to purchase prodused in combination with rosemary and green tea extracts, acerola is more effective at delaying
uct that looks grey. Packaging materidiscoloration than any of the extracts alone.
als-and ingredients with antioxidant
Disclaimer: Images were recreated for illustrative purposes only and were not taken from the mentioned study.
properties-are designed to slow the
rate of oxidation and thus extend the
Acerola cherry extract is also proving to
product's visual appeal."
Research results
be a highly effective ingredient in meat
Kemin Food Technologies, Des Moines,
Kemin worked with researchers at The
and poultry. Extracted from the namesake
Iowa, continually develops ingredient techUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln to evaluate
wild plant grown in tropical and subtropinologies to improve color stability in meat
the effectiveness of various plant extracts
cal regions, acerola extract also contributes
and poultry. This includes conventional
on delaying color loss in ground beef, the
naturally occurring Vitamin C.
plant breeding along with extraction and
most common form of beef consumed in
"Our acerola extract blends delay both
blending technologies to produce plantthe U.S. Three plant extract systems were
lipid and myoglobin oxidation, thereby
based extracts with highly active ingredievaluated against an untreated control.
delaying the onset of color loss and mainents. Many are considered clean label by the
Each day, three HunterLab colorimeter
taining the desirable color and quality of
food industry.
measurements were taken on duplicate
meat products," said Courtney Schwartz,
Rosemary and green tea extracts are the
samples and the values were averaged for
senior marketing communications manager
most well recognized for their ability to
the reported score. The a* values, which
at Kemin. "When used in combination with
positively impact the appearance, taste and
quantify redness, were reported, as this
rosemary and green tea extracts, acerola is
quality of meat and poultry. The main differparameter was the most indicative of oximore effective at delaying early discolorence between the two plant extracts is that
dative color changes.
ation than either extract alone." This allows
green tea extract has a lower negative flavor
The three treatments were a rosemary
for shelf life to more closely reflect the micontribution to the final product. Thus, using
extract, a proprietary blend of green tea
crobial spoilage that occurs.
a lower level of rosemary extract in comand rosemary extracts, and a proprietary
"These versatile, natural solutions are
bination with green tea extract allows the
blend of acerola, green tea and rosemary
more consumer friendly alternatives to
manufacturer to increase the natural plant
extracts. All treatments and the control
traditional synthetic ingredients commonly
extract usage rate, often resulting in an
were subject to the same modified atmoused in the industry," said Ms. Schwartz.
extract blend that works better in the meat
sphere packaging (M.A.P.) and storage
product than using rosemary alone.
conditions. The application rate for each

DAY 10

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