Comparison of two antioxidant packaging based on rosemary oleoresin and green tea extract coated on polyethylene terephthalate for extending the shelf life of minced pork meat

Two antioxidant active packaging systems containing rosemary oleoresin and green tea extract for meat preservation were compared. Minced pork was packaged in active films and its quality was evaluated by sensory analysis, color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total volatile basic nitrogen content (TVB-N). The active films coated with green tea extract showed high antioxidant capacity. The TBARS value of meat packaged with films containing 6 % green tea at day 14 was 0.62 mg of malonaldehyde/kg of meat. This value was equal to day 0 value of TBARS and 37 % lower than the TBARS value of pork in blank group at day 14. The TVB-N values obtained for 6 % green tea and 8 % rosemary at day 14 were 40 and 39 mg N/100 g meat, approximately 25 % lower than the blank. These results indicate the potential application of active films with green tea extract in meat preservation.