RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Olive leaves (OL), available in huge amounts from pruning, are known to be a useful source of biologically active compounds. This study investigated the potential application of OL as a supplement to minced beef meat in order to develop a functional product. The effect of OL extract or powder (100 and 150 µg phenols g-1 meat) on the quality and stability of raw and cooked meat during refrigerated storage was examined. RESULTS: Microwave drying at 600 W gave OL with the highest antioxidant quality (evaluated by TEAC/[phenols] (mg mg-1 ) and DPPH/[phenols] (mg mg-1 )) compared with other methods. OL showed an ability to inhibit (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation (TBARS values (mg MDA kg-1 ) were reduced by 25-65%) and myoglobin oxidation (metmyoglobin production was 43-65% in control samples and 14-35% in treated samples). OL also improved the technological quality of the meat, decreasing (P < 0.05) storage loss (%) and defrosting loss (%) without affecting cooking loss (%) and Napole yield (%). Sensory properties were not modified by the added ingredient at the tested levels (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: OL (extract or powder) may have applications in the development of functional meat products of good technological quality that remain stable during storage. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.