Effect of rosemary and clove essential oils on lipid oxidation, microbial, sensorial properties and storage stability of kavurma, a cooked meat product

Kavurma is a traditional cooked meat product of Türkiye containing a high percentage of animal fat (30-40%). Therefore, kavurma can undergo lipid oxidation easily. This may cause a major problem in the storage and marketing of the product. Synthetic additives used in foods cause anxiety in consumers and this situation increases the search for natural alternatives. Plant essential oils can be reliable additives to extend the shelf life of foods. The protective effect of rosemary and clove essential oils on kavurma meat against microbiological and oxidative deterioration was investigated in this study. For this purpose, kavurma samples were divided into five groups after being produced by standard methods, the essential oils (rosemary and clove) obtained by distillation method were added to the kavurma fat in various proportions, alone or in combination. At the end of the study, the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) and peroxide values of the groups containing plant essential oils were found to be lower than the control groups. The groups containing rosemary and clove essential oil showed that microbiological deterioration was delayed and, the sensory evaluation scores were higher than the control groups at the end of the cold storage period.