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Pomegranate rind has been reported to have strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using pomegranate rind extract as an efficient alternative to synthetic antioxidants and preservatives in fat-rich meat products, which are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation.

Tabak-Maaz, a fat-rich meat product, was used as a model system and treated with different concentrations of pomegranate rind extract (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 per cent) and aerobically packaged within low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for lipid oxidative stability and storage quality under refrigerated (4 to 1°C) conditions. The products were evaluated for various physicochemical, microbiological and sensory parameters at regular intervals of 0, 7, 14 and 21 days.

Pomegranate rind extract showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the lipid oxidative stability, as the treated products exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) lower TBARS (mg malonaldehyde/kg) values. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products, as treated products showed significantly lower values for microbial and yeast and mould counts and for free fatty-acid (% oleic acid) values. Sensory parameters showed significant (p < 0.05) decreasing trend for both control as well as treated products throughout the period of storage; however, significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores were observed for pomegranate rind extract-treated products when compared to the control.

Pomegranate rind extract successfully improved the lipid oxidative stability and storage quality of the products during refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) storage and may be commercially exploited by the meat industry as an efficient alternative without adversely affecting the sensory quality of the products.