Effect of pink pepper extract and packaging type on the quality and oxidative stability of chicken burger

Because of its use in folk medicine, pink pepper has aroused the scientific community's interest in its antioxidant activity (AA). The search for natural compounds to replace synthetic antioxidants has been growing in the meat industry. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of pink pepper extract and the packaging type on the quality of chicken burger. The phenolic compounds (PC) of the pink pepper were extracted using 80% ethanol and the obtained extract (PPE) was characterized for PC content and antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS). PPE was added to the chicken burger at the concentration of 90 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg meat (PP) and evaluated as natural antioxidant against a formulation containing synthetic antioxidant (BHT) (90 mg butylhydroxytoluene/kg meat) and a control (C) (without antioxidant). The burgers were stored in aerobic packaging (polyvinyl chloride - PVC) and vacuum for 7 days at 2 °C and evaluated for oxidative stability (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and physicochemical parameters: color (CIELab) and pH. The PPE showed a considerable amount of PC and AA, presenting values higher than those previously reported for green and black pepper. Regarding the quality of the burgers, the PP formulation was more effective than the BHT to delay the lipid oxidation of vacum-packaged samples. In relation to samples packaged in PVC, pink pepper was as efficient as BHT after 7 days of storage. The addition of PPE promoted a slight decrease of the pH of PVC packaged samples, as well as resulted in darker and redder samples in relation to the control, probably due to the slightly acidic pH and the coloration of the pink pepper extract. The PPE was efficient in delaying lipid oxidation, mainly of aerobically packaged burgers, showing that it could be used as a promising natural antioxidant in the industry.