Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) bioactivity against spoilage microorganisms and oxidative reactions in refrigerated raw beef patties under modified atmosphere packaging

Raw beef patties were treated with either 450 ppm of Sodium metabisulphite (SMB), or Kakadu plum powder (KPP) (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%) or no additive (negative control) and stored under Modified Atmosphere Packaging at 4 ± 1 °C for 20 days. Lipid oxidation, microbial growth rate, pH, instrumental color, and surface myoglobin were studied. Total phenolic compounds (TPC) and vitamin C of the KPP were also measured. The TPC was 13.9 g GAE/ 100 g dry weight (DW) and for vitamin C, the L-AA (l-ascorbic acid) and DHAA (dehydroascorbic acid) were 12.05 g/100 g and 0.5 g/ 100 g DW, respectively. The experimental results indicated that lipid oxidation was significantly delayed throughout the storage period for KPP-treated samples compared to both the negative control and SMB-treated samples. KPP at levels of 0.2% and 0.4% in the raw beef patties were efficient in slowing down the microbial growth rate compared to the negative control; however, SMB had a higher antimicrobial activity. The pH, the redness as well as metmyoglobin formation in the raw beef patties were reduced by the inclusion of the KPP in treated samples. A correlation (r = −0.66) was noted between KPP treatments and lipid oxidation, but there was no correlation (r = −0.006) between KPP treatment and microbial growth. This study demonstrates that KPP could be used as natural preservative for shelf-life extension of raw beef patties. •The effectiveness of Kakadu plum powder (KPP) as natural preservative in raw beef patties was evaluated.•KPP had greater antioxidant attributes compared to both Sodium metabisulphite and the negative control (NC)•KPP had marginally higher antimicrobial attributes compared to the NC.•Addition of KPP resulted in a strong negative correlation with lipid oxidation.