In vitro antioxidative activity of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don straw ethanolic extract and its effect on lipid, protein oxidation, and quality of Chinese‐style sausage

Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don, which can be used for medicine and food, contains a variety of chemicals including polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoid, and others that have beneficial biological properties like antihypertension, bacteriostasis, and anti-inflammatory. The ethanolic extract of Fritillaria straw was obtained for this study using ultrasonic-aided extraction, and the amounts of total phenols and total flavonoids were 26.56 ± 1.36 mg GAE/g dw and 18.75 ± 0.80 mg RE/g dw, respectively. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry technology was utilized to identify 50 major chemicals in the Fritillaria straw extract (FSE). Meanwhile, the antioxidative activities of FSE were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assays in vitro, which pointed out the antioxidative potential of FSE. Additionally, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% of FSE and 0.02% butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) + butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (1:1) were separately added to Chinese-style sausage to study their effects on the lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, and quality of the sausage at different storage times. The study found that the effect of adding 1% FSE on carbonyl content, total volatile basic nitrogen, and TVC of sausage could achieve the effect of the 0.02% BHA + BHT (1:1) group on the 35th day, and the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value and peroxide value of sausage were significantly lower than the control group. Therefore, as one of the candidates to replace synthetic antioxidants, the FSE can be used in the production of Chinese sausages, which has a positive effect on improving the product's quality and extending the shelf life. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The antioxidative activities of 50 main compounds were identified after the ethanolic extraction of Fritillaria straw. This Fritillaria straw extract was added to Chinese sausage, effectively inhibiting the oxidation of lipids and proteins as well as the decomposition of proteins. Obviously, the Fritillaria straw extract, one of the choices to replace synthetic antioxidants, may be useful for future meat processing, because of its positive impact on the product's quality and shelf life.