In Vitro Antioxidant Properties of Berry Leaves and Their Inhibitory Effect on Lipid Peroxidation of Thigh Meat from Broiler Chickens

The present study is designed to evaluate the antioxidant compounds from bilberry, cranberry, and raspberry leaves in connection with their radical scavenging activities, and their potential in inhibiting the lipid peroxidation of thigh meat from broiler chickens. For this purpose, plant extracts are analyzed regarding the content in bioactive compounds, antioxidant properties analysis including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activities. Lipid peroxidation is induced by an Fe+3/ascorbic acid system and the inhibitory effects of plants extracts are assessed using thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) as biomarkers for quantifying lipid oxidation in meat. The overview of the analyzed antioxidant compounds shows that cranberry leaves present the highest concentrations of vitamin E, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, and polyphenols and a total antioxidant capacity with 52% higher than bilberry and 360% than raspberry. Bilberry leaves extract shows the strongest effect (p < 0.0001) in inhibiting meat lipid peroxidation. Practical Applications: The results demonstrate the positive effect of the selected berry leaves in the oxidative stability of broiler chicken meat under in vitro conditions, and may be suggested as an alternative source of natural antioxidants for animal nutrition, with benefits in inhibiting and delaying oxidation, and also enhancing the nutritional value of meat.