Isolation and identification of low molecular weight antioxidant compounds from fermented “chorizo” sausages

This work is focused on the determination of low molecular weight compounds extracted from samples of fermented sausages. The antioxidant activity of fractions isolated from chorizo extracts was tested by their ability to quench free radicals by the DPPH-radical scavenging assay. Natural dipeptides and metabolites characteristic of meat were abundant in the fractions isolated by RP-HPLC from chorizo extracts. Due to extensive degradation during the ripening of chorizo, the extracts did not contain many peptides in a concentration that allowed identification. However, many free amino acids were identified by LC-MS/MS and HILIC-MS/MS. The fractions with the most hydrophilic compounds showed the highest antioxidant activity. ► We determined low molecular weight compounds in Iberian fermented sausages. ► The most hydrophilic fractions showed the highest antioxidant activity. ► Aminoacids and small peptides were identified as responsible for antioxidant effect.