Abstract
Consumer interest on fast foods increased due to the changes in life style. The burger is a popular meat product that shows high consumption. The goal of this work was to investigate the improving of quality and extending the shelf-life of cold-stored (4 degrees C) beef burgers incorporated with de stoned black olive powder (DBOP) at different concentrations (3 %, 6%, and 9%, w/w) on the chemical compositin, microbiological load and organoleptic properties. DBOP-supplemented samples were compared with the control sample and gamma-irradiated (5 kGy) samples during storage for 24 days at 4 degrees C. Microbiological, chemical and sensory properties of untreated and treated beef were determined every three days. Increasing the amount of DBOP in the burgers improved the chemical traits, while the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) showed a progressive decrease. DBOP-incorporated burgers showed a lower level of total plate counts than untreated burgers. During the storage period, all sensory properties of untreated burger samples were reduced, whereas the DBOP-formulated burgers revealed stability. The best antioxidative effects were obtained with 9% DBOP treatment. The study revealed the antioxidant and antimicrobial traits of DBOP, which might pave the way for its application as a natural preserver.