THE POTENTIAL OF ROSEMARY AS A FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENT FOR MEAT PRODUCTS- A REVIEW

ABSTRACT

Artificial preservatives have long been used by the meat industry to control chemical, microbial, and enzymatic degradation activities; and to enhance the shelf life, safety, and quality of meat products. However, the reported toxicological and carcinogenic effects of these additives; and consumer preferences towards natural or plant-based food preservatives have insisted the meat industry to look for their natural alternatives. Rosemary is one of the most promising, versatile, and most studied natural preservatives that have been reported to reduce the rate of oxidative reactions and microbial growth in meat products, thereby extending their shelf life. The promising biological and functional characteristics of rosemary are due to the presence of bioactive compounds like phenolic diterpenes, flavonoids, and triterpenes. These bioactives are well renowned for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective properties. This review highlights the use of rosemary in a diverse range of meat products, including in their packaging. Encapsulation of rosemary and its mechanism of action have also been discussed.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Rosemary
• antimicrobial
• natural preservative
• bioactive compounds
• meat

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Riddet Institute (NZ) CoRE for funding. Doctoral scholarship to Ms R Kaur by Massey University (NZ) is also gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) have no conflict of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Massey University (NZ); Riddet CoRE (NZ).