Comparison of a natural rosemary extract and BHA/BHT for relative antioxidant effectiveness in pork sausage

A commercial rosemary extract was evaluated for antioxidant effectiveness at concentrations of 1500 and 2500 ppm in frozen and precooked-frozen pork sausage, and from 500 to 3000 ppm in refrigerated, fresh pork sausage. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), objective color values and sensory panel scores, were assessed. For refrigerated sausage, the rosemary extract at 2500 ppm was equally effective as butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA)/butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT). Similarly, the rosemary extract was equally effective as BHA/BHT in maintaining low TBARS values of precooked-frozen sausage. However, the rosemary extract was more effective than BHA/BHT for preventing increased TBARS values or loss of red color in raw frozen sausage.