Topical Application of Acerola Cherry Powder in Combination With Rosemary Extract Extends the Shelf Life of Beef Chuck Roll and Bone-In Short Rib Steaks

Abstract

Improving the shelf life of steaks from beef chuck rolls and bone-in short ribs, items commonly exported, will increase the demand of beef in international markets. Our objectives were to determine the effect of topically applying combinations of acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract on steak color and lipid oxidation of beef chuck roll and bone-in short rib. USDA Choice beef chuck rolls (Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications [IMPS] 116A; N=9) andbone-in short ribs (IMPS 123A; N=18) were aged (0°C) 28 d and cut into 1.0 cm-thick steaks. Steak treatments included the following: untreated control (C) or topically sprayed (2 mL) with an acerola cherry powder solution (0.05% A), rosemary extract solution (0.10% R), or mixture of acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract (M1=0.05% A+0.1% R; M2=0.1% A+0.1% R; M3=0.05% A+0.2% R; M4=0.1% A+0.2% R). On day 0 of retail display, oxygen consumption, metmyoglobin-reducing activity, and lipid oxidation were measured. Lipid oxidation was evaluated again following 4 d of retail display. Chuck roll steak color was scored twice daily, whereas short rib lean and bone marrow color were scored once daily throughout 4 d of retail display. Treating chuck roll steaks with M2, M3, and M4 decreased lipid oxidation compared to C and A (P=0.004). In short rib steaks, lipid oxidation remained constant from day 0 to 4 treated with M4 but increased for all other treatments (P<0.001). Chuck roll steaks treated with A, M2, and M3 were redder than C steaks (P=0.001). On days 0 and 4, untreated bone marrow was less red than all the antioxidant treated bone marrow (P=0.011). Antioxidant treatment did not improve subjective lean color for the chuck roll (P=0.324) or bone-in short rib (P=0.081). Topical application of M4 (0.1% acerola cherry powder and 0.2% rosemary extract) reduced lipid oxidation in both chuck roll and bone-in short rib steaks. Additionally, antioxidants alone or in combination with one another improve objective redness scores by up to 2 points; however, the subjective color panel did not observe lean color improvement.

Acerola Cherry and Rosemary Extracts Improve Color and Delay Lipid Oxidation in Previously Frozen Beef

“…Unfortunately, limited research has been conducted using antioxidants on beef following frozen storage and thawing. As previously stated, Van Buren et al [14,15] found that acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract improve the shelf life of fresh beef. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of these antioxidants on previously frozen beef.…”

“…Interestingly, the control bone marrow had a sharp decline in redness (a*) from day 0 to day 1, whereas all antioxidant-treated bone marrow samples had a delayed or more gradual decline in redness, and all antioxidant-treated bone marrow samples were redder than the control on day 1. Previous research had shown that antioxidants were effective in improving the bone marrow color by delaying hemoglobin oxidation and myoglobin oxidation similarly [2,14,15,28,29]. Bone marrow samples treated with R, M3, and M4 were also, on average, redder than the control on days 2 and 3.…”

“…Researchers have seen benefits from including antioxidants in ground products [9][10][11][12] or on the surface of whole muscle steaks to extend their shelf life [13]. Van Buren et al [14,15] recently found that in fresh, never-frozen beef, the topical application of acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract improved the marrow color in bone-in short ribs and surface discoloration in chuck rolls after 28 d of wet aging.…”