Antioxidant activity of mechanically separated pork extracts

Utilization of synthetic carnosine as a food additive is limited by both re gulatory and economic hurdles. Therefore, the potential of producing carnos ine-containing antioxidant extracts from an underutilized skeletal muscle s ource, mechanically separated pork (MSP), was investigated. Carnosine-conta ining MSP extracts were capable of inhibiting lipid oxidation both in vitro and in salted ground pork. Heating (60-80 degrees C) the MSP extract remov ed iron and increased in vitro antioxidant activity. Isolation of a low mol ecular weight fraction of the MSP extract by ultrafiltration was effective at decreasing iron but did not substantially increase in vitro antioxidant activity. Freeze dried extracts (untreated, 80 degrees C, ultrafiltration p ermeate) were capable of inhibiting both TBARS and lipid peroxide formation in ground, salted pork stored at -15 degrees C. While MSP extracts were ca pable of inhibiting lipid oxidation both in vitro and in salted, ground por k, their antioxidant activity was low suggesting that their use as a food a dditive would be impractical. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.