The application of natural antioxidants via brine injection protects Iberian cooked hams against lipid and protein oxidation

•Protein oxidation is more relevant than lipid oxidation in cooked hams.•Rose hips extracts and a mixture of spices protected proteins against oxidation.•Ascorbate and erythorbate are proposed as main bioactive compounds.•Injection of natural antioxidants to cooked hams is a feasible technological approach.

In response to the increasing consumers' mistrust in synthetic additives, the meat industry is focused on searching sources of natural antioxidants. Two different sources of natural antioxidants i) a mixture of garlic, cinnamon, cloves and rosemary essential oils and ii) a Rosa canina L. extract, were compared with a commercial antioxidant additive (Artinox®) for their ability to control protein and lipid oxidation in cooked hams after a settling period of 30 days and at the end of a chilled storage (150 days). The mixture of essential oils was the most effective against lipid oxidation while R. canina L. extracts were the most effective in controlling protein carbonylation at day 150. Accordingly, the use of these antioxidants via brine injection is a successful strategy to enhance the oxidative stability of cooked hams without modifying their physicochemical properties.