Antioxidant effects of sorghum 3-deoxyanthocyanin on chilled pork meat

Abstract Sorghum is rich in phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Among them, 3-deoxyanthocyanin (3-DXA) is a rare subclass of anthocyanins, which has not only antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer functions, but also good thermal stability, colouring effect, as well as unique properties of acid and alkali resistance. In this study, we extracted 3-DXA from sorghum grains and analysed its composition. Component analysis indicated that the purified 3-DXA mainly contained apigenin and luteolin, with the contents of 1.46 μg g −1 and 1.38 μg g −1 , respectively. The antioxidant activity of 3-DXA in vitro was between vitamin C (Vc) and rutin based on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS + ) radical scavenging rate and Fe 3+ reducing power. Different concentrations of purified 3-DXA were applied to pork meat stored at 4 °C. After 11 days of storage, physiological and biochemical indices related to antioxidant and meat quality were determined. The results showed that 0.02% 3-DXA had the best antioxidant effects on pork meat within 11 days of storage at 4 °C based on a* value, pH value, purge loss, TBARS value, and total number of bacteria. The results in this study are helpful for the application of 3-deoxyanthocyanin to maintain the quality of pork meat and prolong the storage time at 4 °C.