Effects of onion quercetin on oxidative stability of cook-chill chicken in vacuum-sealed containers

The effects of onion quercetin were evaluated in relation to the storage stability of cooked dark chicken meat in retarding post-cooking oxidative changes. Autooxidation was followed using the 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. Dried onion flesh at 1.6% (w/w), typical for common cooking, reduced (P <0.001) the TBA value in cooked chicken during refrigerated storage, when mixed before processing. The NaCl did not act as a prooxidant. The antioxidant effect (by TBA) of onion mixed with chicken meat prior to processing was equivalent to that of its measured quercetin content, quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography.