THE COMBINED EFFECT OF ROSEMARY (ROSMARINUS-OFFICINALIS L) AND MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING AS PROTECTION AGAINST WARMED OVER FLAVOR IN COOKED MINCED PORK MEAT

Rosemary (dried leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis L.) added to cooked m eat balls (minced pork) was found to retard the formation of warmed ov er flavour (WOF) during chill storage. The spice was added to pork mea t (Longissimus dorsi) balls in an amount acceptable for the product, a s evaluated by a sensory panel (0.05% of total weight). After cooking (water bath, internal temperature 80-degrees-C), the meat balls were p acked using five atmosphere packaging conditions: (i) air; (ii) 5% O2/ 95% N2; (iii) 3% O2/97% N2; (iv) 1% O2/99% N2; and (v) 100% N2. During chill storage (5-degrees-C), the sensory quality of the reheated meat balls was evaluated by a trained sensory panel, and lipid oxidation w as followed by measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The combination of decreased O2 atmosphere in the packages an d addition of rosemary resulted in a significantly (p < 0.05) lower am ount of TBARS and a significantly (p < 0.05) better sensory score.