The effect of Cistus creticus extract on the quality attributes of cocktail sausages was evaluated. For this purpose (1) the phenolic composition, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of Cistus extract were determined, and (2) quality parameters, such as lipid oxidation and the shelf life of sausages, were investigated. There were four treatments: a control (0.02% ascorbic acid and 0.05% sodium ascorbate) and Cistus (0.05%, 0.07%, and 0.1%). The radical scavenging activity of Cistus was high, and the IC 50 value was 7.85 ± 0.94 μg/ml. The treatment with 0.1% Cistus showed antimicrobial activity against spoilage organisms and extended the shelf life of the cocktail sausages 1 week and provided lower lipid oxidation values throughout storage in comparison with the control treatment. Furthermore, the 0.1% Cistus treatment exhibited fewer total color differences during storage. This study demonstrated the potential of Cistus as a natural antioxidant alternative for sausage formulation. Novelty impact statement• The water extract of Cistus creticus was rich with phenolic compounds, such as quercetin and gallic acid and displayed a high antioxidant capacity.

The effect of Cistus creticus extract on the quality attributes of cocktail sausages was evaluated. For this purpose (1) the phenolic composition, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of Cistus extract were determined; and (2) quality parameters, such as lipid oxidation, color values, and shelf life of sausages, were investigated. There were four treatments: control (0.02% ascorbic acid and 0.05% sodium ascorbate) and Cistus (0.05, 0.07, and 0.1%). The result of the antioxidant studies showed that the radical scavenging activity of Cistus was high, and the IC50 value was 7.85 ± 0.94 µg/mL. The treatment with 0.1% Cistus showed antimicrobial activity against spoilage organisms and extended the shelf life of the cocktail sausages one week in comparison to the control sausages. Especially, psychrophilic bacteria count was lowest in the 0.1% Cistus treatment, and it was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the control treatment. Furthermore, the results of the lipid oxidation were not significantly different (P > 0.05) between the control and the Cistus treatments. However, at the peak of the oxidation, the 0.1% Cistus treatment (0.130 µmol MDA/g) produced preferable TBARS values, in comparison to the control treatment (0.154 µmol MDA/g). The color values were affected by the treatment (P < 0.05). The Cistus treatments had lower lightness and redness values in comparison to the control treatment. This study demonstrated that Cistus extract can be used in cocktail sausage formulations as a natural antioxidant replacement for ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate.