Hexanal as a Predictor of Development of Oxidation Flavor in Cured and Uncured Deli Meat Products as Affected by Natural Antioxidants

Effectiveness of commercial natural antioxidants from rosemary and green tea were investigated in deli-style meat products via headspace hexanal by solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography and sensory oxidation flavor by a trained panel at weeks 1, 7, and 13 of refrigerated storage. A water/oil-soluble rosemary extract at 400 mg/kg proved the most effective antioxidant in cured deli turkey (CDT). In chicken fillet (CF), a water-soluble rosemary extract at 400 mg/kg was most efficient, especially in combination with phosphate. In pulled pork (PP), none of the antioxidants were as efficient as phosphate, though all three tested antioxidants were moderately effective in PP without phosphate. Nitrite was such an efficient antioxidant on its own in CDT that hexanal levels were so low that it was not possible to build correlation models between headspace hexanal and sensory oxidation flavor throughout the storage period. Phosphate also proved very efficient on its own in both CF and PP. It was possible to build good correlation models throughout storage for both CF and PP. Hence, hexanal was found to satisfactorily predict development of oxidation flavor in different types of uncured deli meat products both with and without added phosphate.