Egyptian Propolis: Assessment of Bioactive Properties and its Utilization as a Natural Alternative for Preserving Fresh Sausage under Cold Storage

This study evaluated the ethanolic extract of Egyptian propolis (EEEP) at 200 ppm as a natural preservative for fresh Egyptian sausage stored at 4-5°C over 18 days, compared to untreated control and TBHQ (200 ppm) treatments.​Phytochemical analysis revealed high levels of total phenolics (252.9 mg GAE/g dry extract), flavonoids (164.75 mg CE/g), and tannins (46.45 mg TAE/g), with HPLC identifying chlorogenic acid (6198.77 μg/g), ellagic acid (1567.95 μg/g), and naringenin (1446.56 μg/g) as major polyphenols. EEEP exhibited potent antioxidant activity (DPPH IC₅₀ = 0.025 mg/mL, comparable to ascorbic acid at 0.022 mg/mL), selective antibacterial efficacy (14 mm zones against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus), and dose-dependent cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines (IC₅₀: 98.49 ± 0.7 μg/mL for HCT116 colon, 141.73 ± 0.57 μg/mL for A549 lung, 50.77 ± 0.31 μg/mL for PC3 prostate).​In sausage preservation trials, EEEP-treated samples showed superior physicochemical stability, including slower pH increase (6.81 at day 18 vs. 7.83 for TBHQ), enhanced water-holding capacity (2.73 cm²), reduced cooking loss (28.50%), lower TVB-N (11.85 mg/100g), and TBA values (0.80 mg/kg), alongside >1000-fold reductions in total bacterial counts (5.8×10⁴ CFU/g), coliforms, and yeasts compared to controls. EEEP increased protein (13.75%) and fiber (0.20%) contents while outperforming synthetic TBHQ, demonstrating its potential as a multifunctional clean-label antioxidant, antimicrobial, and preservative for meat products.