Avaliação do potencial antioxidante das flores de Cosmos sulphureus em salsichas

Abstract

Processed meat products are susceptible to oxidative reactions, and synthetic antioxidants are added to prevent or slow this process. However, it has been reported that synthetic antioxidants can have adverse effects on human health. Therefore, the food industry has sought alternatives to mitigate these effects, such as using natural antioxidants. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Cosmos sulphureus flower extract (CSE) as a natural antioxidant for preserving refrigerated sausages. The CSE was obtained by hydroalcoholic extraction (70%, v/v), lyophilized, and evaluated for water activity (aw), instrumental measurement of color, pH, ABTS (2,2'-Azino-bis- (3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Sulphonic Acid)) Radical Cation Scavenging, DPPH (2,2- Diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl free radical scavenging), and total phenolic compound content. Six sausage formulations were prepared with the addition of different concentrations of CSE (Control = 0.08% sodium erythorbate and 0.25% curing salt, F1 = 0.25% curing salt, F2 = 0.25% CSE and 0.25% curing salt, F3 = 0.25% CSE, F4 = 0.5% CSE and 0.25% curing salt, and F5 = 0.5% CSE). Initially, the sausages were evaluated for weight loss during cooking (WLC), centesimal composition, and microbiological evaluation, and over 60 days of storage at 0 to 4 °C, color, texture, pH, water-holding capacity (WHC), determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and sensory analysis were evaluated. The results were evaluated statistically using ANOVA and Tukey's test (p ≤ 0.05). The CSE showed low aw (0.46 ± 0.00) and pH (4.51 ± 0.02), indicating good microbiological stability and predominantly yellow color (L* = 24.49 ± 0.33; a* = 13.55 ± 0.33; b* = 18.48 ± 0.57). It also demonstrated antioxidant capacity, with ABTS values of 150 ± 0.01 μmol TE/g, DPPH values of 370 ± 0.02 μmol TE/g, and total phenolic content of 2549.8 ± 0.04 μmol GAE/g. The addition of extract did not alter the WLC, CRA, centesimal composition, or microbiological condition of sausages made with the CSE compared to the control. However, the addition of CSE significantly altered the color of the sausages (p ≤ 0.05), and the higher concentration of CSE reduced the L* and a* coordinates. For TBARS, at the end of 60 days of storage, the F2 and F4 values did not differ from the control (p ≥ 0.05). Replacing synthetic antioxidants with CSE in sausages promoted lipid oxidation stability compared to sodium erythorbate, traditionally used in the meat industry. The formulation with a 0.50% concentration of CSE showed an acceptability index higher than 70% in the sensory analysis, indicating good consumer acceptance of the sausage.