Sex Does Not Affect the Colour, Shear Stress, and Lipid Oxidation of Pork Meat, but Feed-Added Plant-Derived Extracts, Storage Time and Packaging Type Do

Essential plant oils added to products, packaging or animal feed are used as a method of preserving food quality because they extend the shelf-life of meat due their antioxidant and/or antimicrobial capacity. This action can be achieved with the correct packaging that preserves the meat’s quality and safety. This study investigates the effects of plant-derived extracts (PDE) on the meat quality and shelf-life of pork packaged in vacuum or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Thirty-six barrows and thirty-six gilts were allocated into three experimental groups: the control, garlic extract (1 kg/ton of feed) and oregano–rosemary oil (2 kg/ton of feed) with the same base-diet. Two packaging were used: vacuum and a commercial MAP (70% O(2), 30% CO(2)). The meat fat content, pH, colour, TBARS values and Warner–Bratzler shear stress were investigated. The sex of the animals did not affect any of the studied variables, whereas PDE affected some of the colour variables and the shear stress; both the packaging type and the storage time affected the colour variables, lipid oxidation and shear stress. Vacuum-packed meat was more stable in terms of colour, lipid oxidation and shear stress than MAP-packed meat.