Green tea – A potential preservative for extending the shelf life of fresh mutton at ambient temperature (25 ± 2 °C)
Author: K.V. Kumudavally and H.S. Phanindrakumar and Aisha Tabassum and K. Radhakrishna and A.S. Bawa
This investigation was taken up to evaluate the feasibility of using green tea (GT) to extend the shelf life of fresh mutton, at ambient storage conditions (25 ± 2 °C and 85 ± 5% RH). The ethanolic extract of GT (GTE) was found to significantly inhibit (P < 0.01) spoilage microflora, including certain pathogens of acidulant treated mutton (pH 3.8) for up to 4 days. Application of GTE did not cause any deleterious change in sensorial and physical quality and the mutton was acceptable for up to 4 days. While the control samples showed initial signs of spoilage between 20 and 24 h and registered an increase in free fatty acids (FFA) from 1.24 g to 4.1 g/100 g lipid and biogenic amine index (BAI) from 0.27 mg to 4.63 mg/100 g mutton, at the end of two days of storage, the GTE treated sample showed FFA levels of 1.5 g/100 g lipid and BAI of 0.25 mg/100 g mutton at the end of the 4 days. GTE treatment could be effectively used to extend the shelf life of fresh mutton for up to 4 days in Indian climatic conditions, since it significantly (P < 0.01) inhibits the formation of these lipolytic and proteolytic degradation products, which are responsible for sensorial spoilage.
