A Study of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Orange Peel Extract on Improvement of the Shelf Life of Chicken Products

Abstract

The research work was focused on examining the potential of orange peel extract as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent and increasing the shelf life of chicken meat products. The antioxidant activity of orange peel extract powder (OPE) was found to be highly effective. The effectiveness of OPE in the removal of hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals was also found to be remarkably high. Additionally, it exhibited notable efficacy in terms of lowering power and iron chelation capability. The methods used in this research work were aqueous extraction method for extraction of bioactive compounds from orange peel powder for incorporation in chicken products, ethanolic extraction method for determination of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. The compound OPE showed significant antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1%. However, no inhibitory effect was observed against Escherichia coli, but it can reduce the growth of E. coli. The incorporation of OPE into commonly consumed chicken meat products resulted in a notable extension of their shelf life by approximately 2 to 3 weeks when subjected to refrigerated storage conditions, the application of OPE has shown efficacy in the management of oxidative rancidity in the above chicken products. The presence of phytochemicals and antioxidants in various substances has been found to have a direct correlation with their positive impact on human health