Relationship between antioxidant status and oxidative stability in lamb meat reinforced with dietary rosemary diterpenes

The relationship between the antioxidant status of fresh meat and oxidative stability of chilled-packed meat obtained from lambs fed on a diet supplemented with two different doses of a rosemary extract containing carnosic acid and carnosol was studied. The incorporation of rosemary extract in the lamb diet led to the deposition of functional levels of the diterpenic metabolite C19H22O3 in meat, which improved its stability against oxidation. The antioxidant status could be assessed through both the radical scavenging capacity (DPPH and TEAC) and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). In general, antioxidant status values correlated better (P < 0.05) with the changes in CIELAB colour, malondialdehyde and sensory scoring than with the changes in hexanal and protein carboxylation measured in the lamb cuts kept under protective atmosphere for up to 14 days. The FRAP and DPPH assays were more suitable than the TEAC assay for predicting meat oxidation and any resulting discolouration and rancidity.