Survey the Effects of Electron Beam on Chemical Quality of Ostrich Meat

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Ostrich meat is one of the low-fat and healthy samples of red meat. Irradiation is one of the intervention strategies in order to effectively control food-borne pathogens reducing microbial load and increasing the storage time. METHODS: In this study, ostrich meat was treated with 1.5, 3 and 5 kGy electron beam doses and stored at4 ± 1° C for 15 days. Within 5 days after irradiation, chemical and organoleptic changes were evaluated. The amount of total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) were measured to evaluate the chemical changes. FINDINGS: The lowest amount of TVN for the irradiated sample with a dose of 5 kGy was the amount of 83/9 mg N/100 g meat on the first day and the highest amount of 39.37 mg N/100 g meat related to the control sample was on 15th day. Also, the lowest amount of malondialdehyide in control sample was observed in the first day with amount of 0.13 mg MA/kg meat, and the highest was related to a dose of 5 kGy with amount of 2.01 mg MA/kg meat on 15th day. CONCLUSION: Irradiation significantly reduces the amount of TVN in the irradiated samples. It also increases the amount of thiobarbituric acid in the irradiated samples which has statistically significant direct relationship with the irradiation and during storage. The results show that electron beam irradiation of ostrich meat, increased storage time for at least two weeks at refrigerator without a noticeable change in the organoleptic properties of the meat