Abstract: The objective of this study was to explore the effect of quercetin on protein and lipid oxidation and quality characteristics of minced pork during chilled storage. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, total protein thiol content, protein carbonyl content, surface hydrophobicity, color, cooking loss and texture of minced pork with added quercetin at different levels (0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 g/kg) were measured. The results showed that the TBARS value was significantly reduced with the addition of quercetin at all investigated concentrations (P < 0.05). The addition of 0.10 and 0.20 g/kg quercetin significantly inhibited the loss of total sulfhydryl group content and the increase of surface hydrophobicity on Day 9 of storage. The addition of 0.20 g/kg quercetin remarkably suppressed the formation of carbonyl compounds from Day 1 to 6 (P < 0.05). The redness value was effectively increased with the addition of 0.10 g/kg quercetin when the quercetin addition was 0.10 g/kg. When the concentration of quercetin was 0.05 and 0.10 g/kg, the cooking loss was significantly reduced on Day 6 and 9 (P < 0.05). Moreover, quercetin remarkably increased the elasticity, hardness and chewiness of minced pork during storage (P < 0.05). Therefore, when quercetin is used as an antioxidant in meat and meat products, the effect of its addition amount on meat quality should be considered.

Key words: quercetin, chilled minced pork, lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, quality properties