JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, cilt.39, sa.6, ss.3059-3066, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
In this research, the effects of lyophilized Urtica dioica L. water extract (LUDWE) on the shelf life of vacuum-packaged beef steaks were evaluated. For this purpose, beef steaks were arranged as control (vacuum packaging, VP), 150 ppm LUDWE + VP, 300 ppm LUDWE + VP and 450 ppm LUDWE + VP, and were stored at 2 +/- 0.5C for 21 days. During storage, psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae counts, pH, color and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of beef steaks were determined. By adding LUDWE in the beef steaks, TBARS values decreased (P < 0.01), and minimum values were determined in 450 ppm LUDWE + VP groups (P < 0.05). Depending on the increase in the LUDWE level, psychrotrophic (P < 0.01), Pseudomonas (P < 0.01), Enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.01) and lactic acid bacteria (P < 0.01) counts decreased, and the highest counts of these parameters were determined in the control group. LUDWE also had significant effects on L* (P < 0.01), a* (P < 0.01) and b* (P < 0.01) values of vacuum-packaged beef steaks.