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Review
. 2018 Jan 23;5(1):13.
doi: 10.3390/medicines5010013.

Hydroxytyrosol: Health Benefits and Use as Functional Ingredient in Meat

Lorena Martínez  1 , Gaspar Ros  2 , Gema Nieto  3
Affiliations
Review

Hydroxytyrosol: Health Benefits and Use as Functional Ingredient in Meat

Lorena Martínez et al. Medicines (Basel). .

Abstract

Hydroxytyrosol (HXT) is a phenolic compound drawn from the olive tree and its leaves as a by-product obtained from the manufacturing of olive oil. It is considered the most powerful antioxidant compound after gallic acid and one of the most powerful antioxidant compounds between phenolic compounds from olive tree followed by oleuropein, caffeic and tyrosol. Due to its molecular structure, its regular consumption has several beneficial effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and as a protector of skin and eyes, etc. For these reasons, the use of HXT extract is a good strategy for use in meat products to replace synthetics additives. However, this extract has a strong odour and flavour, so it is necessary to previously treat this compound in order to not alter the organoleptic quality of the meat product when is added as ingredient. The present review exposes the health benefits provided by HXT consumption and the latest research about its use on meat. In addition, new trends about the application of HXT in the list of ingredients of healthier meat products will be discussed.

Keywords: antimicrobial; antioxidant; health; hydroxytyrosol; meat; preservative.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphical abstract of the use and health benefits of Hydroxytyrosol to prevent lipid and protein oxidation and substitution of synthetic additives in meat products.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of TYR and HXT: phenolic compound from olive leave and olive oil. TYR: tyrosol (left); HXT: hydroxytyrosol (right).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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