Antioxidant properties of natural substances in irradiated fresh poultry

This study was undertaken to determine if a combined treatment (marinating in natural plant extracts or vacuum) with irradiation could have a synergistic effect, in order to prevent the lipid oxidation resulting in the development of undesirable flavours. The fresh chicken legs were irradiated at 0,3 and 5 kGy. The fatty acids composition of lipids was identified using gas liquid chromatography. The effect of irradiation treatment combined with a pre-treatment on the fatty acids composition was followed. The day after irradiation, ten panallists were asked to evaluate, using the instruction scaling, the overall appearance, the odor, the flavor and the overall acceptability of the samples. The major fatty acids identified in lipids were oleic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid and stearic acid. Pre-treatments have a significant effect on linoleic acid (C18:2) and higher fatty acids. The unsaturated fatty acids derived from phospholipids appeared to be more affected by the irradiation dose: however, marinating have better protection on C18:2 derived from phospholipids. The results of sensory evaluation have shown a significant better odor and flavor for the irradiated chicken at 5 kGy than the control. No significant difference have been found between the marinated chicken, the chicken irradiated under vacuum and the control.