Effect of supercritical melocan (Smilax excelsa L.) leaf extract on quality attributes of beef meatballs during cold storage

This study investigated the effects of melocan leaf extract (ME), obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO2) extraction, on the quality characteristics of beef meatballs during cold storage (0, 3, 6, and 9 days). ME was incorporated at three levels (0.1 %, 0.5 %, 1 % – marked as ME0.1, ME0.5 and ME1). The results showed that the use of ME significantly delayed lipid oxidation in beef meatballs during cold storage (p < 0.05). While the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value reached 2.46 mg·kg-1 malonaldehyde (MA) in the control group, the meatballs with no ME content, the TBARS values of ME0.1, ME0.5 and ME1 reached 1.39, 0.92, and 1.00 mg·kg-1 MA, respectively. As the extract content increased, the lightness L* and redness a* values of the meatballs decreased (p < 0.05). ME effectively inhibited lipid oxidation and increased the antioxidant capacity in beef meatballs, without significantly affecting total mesophilic aerobic bacteria and total mould and yeast counts (p > 0.05). In terms of sensory evaluation scores, the group containing 0.1 % ME was the closest to the control group, and since it considerably prevented lipid oxidation even at this level, the use of 0.1 % ME in beef meatballs is recommended. © 2025 National Agricultural and Food Centre (Slovakia).