Lipid oxidation is a major cause of meat quality deterioration. Lipid oxidation is an important determinant of shelf life of meat and meat products. Antioxidants are natural or synthetic substances used to prevent lipid oxidation. Meat protection, primarily against lipid components, is possible by addition of antioxidants to feed mixes. This is the way to ensure oxidative stability of meat fats during the postslaughter processing of carcasses and storage of meat. The aim of our project was to investigate the protective effect of natural antioxidants rosemary (500 mg.kg-1) and vitamin E (40 mg/bird/day) added to feed mixes and fed to broiler chickens from day 21 to day 42 of life. Afterwards, oxidative stability of ground meat and poultry sausages was determined. After meat processing, samples were collected, frozen and stored in a freezer at – 18°C for 14 days. Frozen breast muscles of individual groups of chickens were ground and stored in a refrigerator at 1°C for 14 days. Poultry sausages were produced from frozen thigh muscles of individual groups of chickens. Synergistic effect of vitamin E added to feed mixes and rosemary added to ground meat was evaluated. Before grinding of meat, meat samples of broiler chickens saturated with vitamin E were enriched with 50 mg.kg-1 of rosemary powder FlavorGuard P (Christian Hansen, Denmark). The addition of vitamin E and rosemary powder FlavorGuard P to feed mixes for broiler chickens resulted in increased oxidative stability of fats in meat. Extra addition of rosemary to meat enriched with vitamin E suppressed more significantly the oxidative processes and increased oxidative stability of poultry meat and poultry sausages. Use of frozen meat and low storage temperature (1°C) of ground meat also significantly suppressed oxidative processes.Oksidacija lipida je glavni uzrok smanjenja kvalitete mesa i značajan čimbenik održivosti mesa i mesnih proizvoda. Antioksidanti su prirodne ili sintetske supstancije koje se koriste za sprečavanje oksidacije lipida. Dodavanjem antioksidanata u krmne smjese moguće je osigurati oksidativnu stabilnost masti mesa tijekom klaoničke obrade i kasnijeg skladištenja mesa. Cilj našeg projekta je bio ispitati zaštitni učinak prirodnih antioksidanata ružmarina (500 mg.kg-1) i vitamina E (40 mg/pilić/dnevno) dodavanih smjesama kojima su hranjeni tovni pilića od 21. do 42. dana života. Potom je određivana oksidativna stabilnost mljevenog pilećeg mesa i kobasica od pilećeg mesa. Nakon obrade mesa, uzorci su smrznuti i pohranjeni u zamrzivač na -18°C kroz 14 dana. Smrznuti mišići prsa pojedinih grupa pilića su samljeveni i pohranjeni u hladnjak na temperaturi od 1°C kroz 14 dana. Pileće su kobasice proizvedene od smrznutih mišića bataka pojedinih grupa pilića. Izvršena je procjena sinergističkog učinka vitamina E dodanog u smjese za piliće, te ružmarina koji je pridodan mjevenom mesu. Prije mljevenja, uzorci mesa tovnih pilića koji su dobivali dodatne količine vitamina E u hrani, obogaćeni su s 50 mg.kg-1 ružmarina u prahu FlavorGuard P (Christian Hansen, Danska). Primjena vitamina E i ružmarina u prahu FlavorGuard P u smjesama za tovne piliće rezultirala je povećanom oksidativnom stabilnosti masti u mesu. Dodatna primjena ružmarina u mesu obogaćenom vitaminom E imala je značajniji supresivni učinak na oksidativne procese i povećala oksidativnu stabilnost pilećeg mesa i pilećih kobasica. Upotreba smrznutog mesa i niske temperature pohrane mljevenog mesa (1°C) također su imale značajan supresivni učinak na oksidativne procese
