Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Piper chaba stem extracts with preservative effects on storage of raw beef patties

Piper chaba, a traditional South-east Asian medicinal herb and well-known curry spice, was studied to evaluate its suitability as a source of natural preservatives for beef products. Plant extracts that are high in phenolics and have high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities are likely to be useful as a natural preservative. Therefore, the phytochemical composition and the bioactivities of both ethanolic and methanolic extracts of P. chaba stem were examined first. The study revealed a significant antioxidant activities and potential antibacterial activity of P. chaba extracts. Next we investigated the preservation characteristics of P. chaba by using beef patties as a model system. Beef patties were produced and treated with 0.2 % ethanolic extract (mentioned as PEE) of P. chaba and 0.1 % commercial preservative (mentioned as PCP). They were then assessed for various storage quality parameters under refrigerated (4° C ± 1° C) conditions, including free fatty acid, antioxidant contents, and oxidative stability at 0, 6th, 16th, and 33rd days. No significant variations were observed across the products with regard to proximate composition study such as protein, ash and fat contents. In comparison to both PEE and PCP, the control product had higher free fatty acid values throughout the storage period. This indicates that the fat content of the PEE and PCP degraded at a slower rate than the control over the 33-day storage period. Our study also showed that both PCP and PEE had increased antioxidant capacity, implying that lipid oxidation is minimized. In contrast to the control, the oxidative stability of the P. chaba treated products was also higher. Altogether this study revealed that P. chaba could be utilized commercially, particularly in the food industry to preserve muscle foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Natural preservatives are becoming more popular as a result of the different carcinogenic and toxic side effects of conventional preservatives. P. chaba, an exquisite culinary herb in Bangladesh, has long been used as a traditional medicine, because of its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This study revealed that P. chaba can be utilized as a food preservative, which opens up new possibilities for its development and use in functional foods.