Dietary pomegranate by-product improves oxidative stability of lamb meat

Meat Sci. 2020 Apr:162:108037. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.108037. Epub 2019 Dec 19.

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of including whole pomegranate by-product in lamb diet on meat oxidative stability. Seventeen lambs were assigned to two experimental treatments and fed a cereal-based concentrate (CON) or the same concentrate where 200 g/kg DM of cereals were replaced by whole pomegranate by-product (WPB). Meat from WPB-fed lambs had a greater concentration of vitamin E (α- and γ-tocopherols), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), highly peroxidizable PUFA and a higher peroxidability index (P < .05). Feeding WPB limited the formation of metmyoglobin (P = .05) and reduced lipid oxidation (TBARS values) after 7 days of storage for raw meat (P = .024) or 4 days for cooked meat (P = .006). Feeding WPB increased meat antioxidant capacity (ORAC assay) in the lipophilic fraction (P = .017), but not in the hydrophilic. These results suggest that vitamin E in the pomegranate by-product contributed to the higher antioxidant capacity of meat from the WPB-fed lambs.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Lipid oxidation; Meat quality; Phenolic compounds; Pomegranate by-product; Vitamin E.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Feed / analysis*
  • Animals
  • Diet / veterinary
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / analysis
  • Food Storage
  • Male
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Pomegranate*
  • Red Meat / analysis*
  • Sheep, Domestic / physiology*
  • Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / analysis
  • Vitamin E / analysis

Substances

  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
  • Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances
  • Vitamin E