The Influence of Natural Astaxanthin on the Formulation and Storage of Marinated Chicken Steaks

The present study reports on the extraction of astaxanthin from shrimp processing by-products using corn oil. Its antioxidant activities at different concentrations were evaluated using various antioxidant assays, including DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging (IC50 = 6.3 μg/mL), reducing power, β-carotene bleaching (IC50 = 20.4 μg/mL) and total antioxidant capacity assays. Interestingly, astaxanthin extract showed strong antioxidant activity. The astaxanthin from shrimp by-products was added to marinated chicken steaks as a natural antioxidant, and samples were stored for 7 days at 4C. Our results show that with 10 mg of astaxanthin/kg of chicken steaks, lipid oxidation during storage was minimal and microbiological quality was preserved. These results were further confirmed by histological and sensory analyses. Overall, the results indicated that the addition of natural astaxanthin can minimize lipid oxidation and improve microbiological stability during the formulation and storage of marinated chicken steaks. Practical Applications Shrimp waste is one of the important sources of natural astaxanthin. This carotenoid was reported to be a potent antioxidant and has a variety of biological activities. So, the natural astaxanthin extracted from shrimp by-products can be considered a promising candidate for application as a natural antioxidant agent for use in chicken meat formulations to control and retard lipid oxidation.