Abstract: In order to develop high-quality roast chicken marinated with ginseng extracts with good nutritional and health properties, this study explored the inhibitory effects of ginseng extracts on fat and protein oxidation in roast chicken marinated with ginseng extracts and the influence on its eating quality. Roast chicken was prepared by injection of different amounts of hot aqueous extracts of red ginseng (steamed and dried root of Panax sp.), while ginseng (dried root of Panax sp.) and ginseng cultivated under forest, separately and was evaluated for meat shear force, pH, cooking yield, color, texture, protein carbonyl content, protein sulfhydryl content, thiobarbituric acid reaction substances (TBARS) value, and sensory scores. The results showed that the content of total saponins in red ginseng extract was the highest, and the scavenging capacity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonicacid (ABTS) cation radical were the strongest; the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in understory ginseng extract were the highest. With the increase in ginseng extract dosage, the hardness and chewiness of roast chicken were enhanced, the color parameters L*, a* and b* and protein sulfhydryl content were increased strikingly, and the TBARS value and protein carbonyl content were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). At the same dosage, red ginseng extract had the most significant effect on the contents of protein carbonyl and sulfhydryl groups (P < 0.05), while white ginseng extract resulted in the highest TBARS value. With the increase in ginseng extract dosage, the sensory score of roast chicken increased significantly at first and then decreased significantly (P < 0.05), reaching the highest value at a dosage of 1.0%. Therefore, proper addition of ginseng extracts can improve the color, improve the eating quality of roast chicken, and inhibit the oxidation of fat and protein, with red ginseng being the most effective among the ginseng extracts studied.

Key words: roast chicken; ginseng; lipid oxidation; protein oxidation; quality characteristics