The effects of added acerola fruit extract on sensory and shelf-life of beef pattieswere evaluated. Ground beefwas
obtained fromyoung bulls fed one of four diets (CON: control, LIN: linseed, CLA: conjugated linoleic acid, LINCLA:
LIN plus CLA). Pre-salted (1.8% w/w) beef patties (7.7% fat) with (0.15%w/w) or without acerola were packed in
modified atmosphere (80%O2:20%CO2) and displayed in a retail case for 8 days. There were no interactions
between diet and antioxidant treatments. LIN and/or CLA had no effect on color and lipid stability during display.
However, LIN increased n−3 fatty acids in beef and tended to increase intensity of rancid flavor. Addition of
acerola extended shelf-life by at least 3 days by improving color and lipid stability and a decreased trend in intensity
of rancid flavor of patties without affecting microbial counts. Thus, the use of acerola as a natural antioxidant
can be considered an effective method to retard color and lipid oxidation in beef patties