Effect of Adding Lemon Peel Extract Fortified with Gelatin on Preserving Beef Meatballs During Refrigeration on Qualitative and Sensory Characteristics

The study aimed to evaluate the use of lemon peel extract at a concentration of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2 % in preserving beef meatballs under refrigeration at 4oC. The results showed that (TBA) and percentage of free fatty acid in meat samples that treated with lemon peel extract significantly reduced compared to the control, which reached 1.94 malno aldehyde/ 0.58 kg on the sixth day of preservation. While the treated samples remained within the standard limits until the period of refrigeration preservation, which reached to 1.68, 1.55, and 1.51. Also, the results showed that the capacity of water holding in beef meatballs that treated with lemon peel extract increased significantly compared to the control treatment. On the sixth day of refrigeration, the averages in the third, fourth and fifth treatment were 36.67%, 48.21%, and 43,11%, respectively, while in the control treatment reached 32.67% for the same period of storage.