Paper Title
Effect of Natural (Thyme Essential Oil) and Synthetic Antioxidants (BHA) on Chicken Nuggets Quality during Frozen Storage

Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of thyme essential oil (Zararia multiflora boiss) at 0.2% concentration as natural antioxidant and BHA at 0.01% concentration as synthetic antioxidant on chicken nuggets quality during frozen storage (-20±2) for a period of 6 months. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values, free fatty acids and pH for all nugget samples increased throughout 6 months of frozen storage. Nuggets formulated with thyme oil showed significantly (P<0.01) lower amount of free fatty acids, pH and higher oxidative stability according to TBA values compared to the samples prepared with synthetic antioxidant (BHA) and control (without antioxidants treated) at all storage intervals. Regarding the sensory acceptance test, the panelists detected significant differences (p<0.01) amongst the three treatments for aroma, flavor, tenderness and overall acceptability with higher preference for nuggets treated with thyme essential oil. Keywords - Chicken nuggets, BHA, thyme essential oil, Zararia multiflora boiss