Phenolic Compounds Obtained from Olea europaea By-Products and Their Use to Improve the Quality and Shelf Life of Meat and Meat Products—A Review

Abstract

Consumers are interested in consuming clean label foods. Replacing synthetic additives with natural alternatives (especially sources rich in polyphenols) is a valid solution to produce and also preserve foods, especially meat and meat products. Olea europaea leaves and olive pomace and wastewater contain polyphenols that can be explored in this context. In this review, we summarize the main aspects related to the phenolic composition, extraction conditions, antimicrobial potential, and antioxidant activity (in vitro and in vivo) of Olea europaea leaves, olive pomace and wastewater as well as their applications in the production of meat and meat products. This review found evidence that extracts and isolated polyphenols from the Olea europaea tree and olive processing by-products can be explored as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial additives to improve the preservation of meat and meat products. The polyphenols found in these residues (especially oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol) increased the redox state in the main meat-producing animals and, consequently, the oxidative stability of fresh meat obtained from these animals. Moreover, the extracts and isolated polyphenols also improved the shelf life of fresh meat and meat products (as additive and as active component in film) by delaying the growth of microorganisms and the progression of oxidative reactions during storage. The accumulated evidence supports further investigation as a natural additive to improve the preservation of reformulated muscle products and in the production of edible and sustainable films and coatings for fresh meat and meat products.

Effect of flavonoids from Lycium barbarum leaves on the oxidation of myofibrillar proteins in minced mutton during chilled storage

“…Dragsted (2008) found that the α‐amino groups of lysine underwent oxidation to form a carbonyl group, destroying the primary structure of the polypeptide chain and changing the hydrophobicity of the protein. The redox state is used to evaluate the formation of oxidation products, such as those from the lipids and proteins oxidation (carbonyl formation) (Munekata et al., 2020). The sulfhydryls in cysteine are easily oxidized to form disulfide bonds, cross‐linking proteins.…”

Dietary Supplementation of Olive Mill Waste Water Polyphenols in Rabbits: Evaluation of the Potential Effects on Hepatic Apoptosis, Inflammation and Metabolism through RT-qPCR Approach

“…Over the last few decades these bioactive compounds have been used as feed supplements to enhance animal performance, health and welfare, and to manufacture functional foods of animal origin [3,10,[38][39][40]. Studies on applications for these by-products have attracted great interest not only from an environmental point of view but also from an economic and human health perspective, as producing functional foods containing natural extracts from the olive plant Olea europaea could prove to be an excellent food industry strategy for improving human health, well-being and immune function [6].…”

“…europa.eu/news/en/headlines/economy/20151201STO05603/circular-economy-definitionimportanceand-benefits, accessed on 18 May 2021) is particularly important for the agrofood sector as it aims to apply new techniques to recover valuable bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products to be used in animal nutrition [2][3][4][5]. Within the agri-food chain, the extra virgin olive oil production industry generates a wide variety of waste residues which have significant environmental impacts, such as olive vegetation waters, olive pomace and olive leaves [1,6]. Moreover, olive oil waste may negatively affect soil microbial populations, aqueous ecosystems and air medium due to its high phytotoxicity [7].…”

Hydroxytyrosol and Oleuropein-Enriched Extracts Obtained from Olive Oil Wastes and By-Products as Active Antioxidant Ingredients for Poly (Vinyl Alcohol)-Based Films

“…Hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) and oleuropein (Ole) are two bioactive constituents of olive tree ( Olea europaea L., Figure 1 ) used as dietary supplements for their beneficial effects on human health or as food preservatives for their strong antioxidant activity [ 19 ]. HTyr is a low molecular weight phenol found mainly in olive fruits (16.6 mg/kg) [ 20 ]; Ole a secoiridoid can be found in both fruits (19.2 mg/kg) and leaves (26.47 mg/kg) [ 21 ].…”