Turmeric and black pepper spices decrease lipid peroxidation in meat patties during cooking

Abstract

Spices are rich in natural antioxidants and have been shown to be potent inhibitors of lipid peroxidation during cooking of meat. Turmeric contains unique conjugated curcuminoids with strong antioxidant activity. Piperine, one of the main constituents of black pepper, is known to increase the bioavailability of curcuminoids in mouse and human studies when consumed with turmeric. We investigated whether adding black pepper to turmeric powder may further inhibit lipid peroxidation when added to meat patties prior to cooking. The addition of black pepper to turmeric significantly decreased the lipid peroxidation in hamburger meat. When investigating the antioxidant activity of the main chemical markers, we determined that piperine did not exhibit any antioxidant activity. Therefore, we conclude that other black pepper ingredients are responsible for the increased antioxidant activity of combining black pepper with turmeric powder.

• Black pepper
• hamburger
• lipid peroxidation
• malondialdehyde (MDA)
• turmeric

Declaration of interest

The chemical analyses were supported by Division Funds of the Department of Medicine of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the manuscript.