<i>Ceylon cinnamon</i> extract as a natural antioxidant in fishburgers: effects on oxidative stability and quality during frozen storage

Abstract This study evaluated the potential of Ceylon cinnamon extract as a natural antioxidant in broadband anchovy fishburgers during frozen storage (−18 °C). Three treatments were compared: sodium erythorbate, spray-dried cinnamon extract, and microencapsulated cinnamon extract with maltodextrin. Characterisation included proximate chemical composition, cooking weight loss, scanning electron microscopy, antioxidant compounds, and sensory analysis. Stability was evaluated through lipid oxidation thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total volatile basic nitrogen, pH, instrumental colour, and microbiological analyses. Both cinnamon were highly effective in preventing lipid oxidation. TBARS values remained consistently low in cinnamon-treated samples. Colour stability has been improved, preventing the undesirable greenish hue observed in the control. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis qualitatively confirmed the presence of cinnamaldehyde in treated fishburger samples, below the quantification limit. Ceylon cinnamon extract is an effective natural antioxidant in fishburgers, offering a promising “clean label” alternative for the food industry.