Effects of Arbaroi (Phyllanthus acidus) pulp extract on physicochemical characteristics, oxidative stability and antimicrobial activity in chicken patties at refrigerated storage

The antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of Phyllanthus acidus fruit pulp (PAFP) extract were evaluated and compared with those of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and sodium nitrate (SN) in uncooked chicken patties on the 1st, 5th and 10th days of refrigerated storage. Five types of meatballs were formulated: control (T0), 0.1% PAFP extract (T1), 0.3% PAFP extract (T2), 0.02% BHT (T3) and 0.007% SN (T4). Physicochemical characteristics were assessed by measuring pH, cooking loss, and color. To evaluate the antioxidant activity, heme iron content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) value were evaluated. Antimicrobial activity was also determined by measuring the total viable count. Incorporation of PAFP extract, BHT, and SN in patties resulted in significantly (p < .05) lower TBARS values, enhanced DPPH scavenging activity, and better retention of heme iron content compared to control. PAFP extract showed better antimicrobial properties, particularly at the 0.3% level, and retained lower pH over time. Chicken patties formulated with PAFP extract revealed higher redness and chroma values and lower hue angles compared to control indicating better color stabilizing capacity of PAFP extract. We conclude from these findings that, PAFP extract can be applied in chicken patties as a natural antioxidant to improve physicochemical characteristics, oxidative stability, antimicrobial and color stability.