| Summary: | The antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of clove, Sage and kiwifruit peel extracts as well as their mixture, were evaluated as natural preservatives for fish fingers. The treated samples with the mix (1:1:1) of aqueous extracts showed results superior to that of the synthetic antioxidants. Values of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) recorded with the mix at 0.10%, 0.25% and 0.50% were 0.97, 0.62 and 0.53 mg MDA/kg respectively, compared to negative control and BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) as a positive control which recorded 2.12 and 1.52 mg MDA/kg at the 30th day of storage. The microbial analysis emphasized a superior preservation power of the plant extract mixture. The total microbial count in treated samples with plant extracts mix at 0.1%, 0.25% and 0.5% were 3.7 × 103, 5.7 × 102 and 3.3 × 102 cfu/g compared to the negative and positive control (BHT) which showed the total microbial count 1.8 × 104 and 5.5 × 103 cfu/g respectively, at the 30th day of storage. These findings emphasized the powerful effect of the mixture of plant extracts at the level of 0.5% to extend the shelf life of fish fingers during storage period up to 30 days under cold storage conditions (4 ± 1 °C). These findings suggest that the extract mix may serve as an alternative choice to use as a food additive extending the shelf life of food products.
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