Rosemary extract and fat breakdown in digested pork
What it found
In lab tests that mimic stomach digestion, rosemary extract reduced the formation of a marker of fat damage in cooked pork and helped keep fatty acids from dropping.
The work was done in test tubes, not in people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Fat damage marker
Rosemary extract at all four amounts lowered the formation of malondialdehyde during simulated stomach digestion of cooked pork.
Fatty acids kept
The extract also reduced the loss of fatty acids during the simulated digestion.
Other findings
Phenolic content
The total phenolic content of the rosemary extract was 170.67 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram.
Antioxidant activity
In distilled water at pH 6.5 and in a buffer at pH 3.0, the extract showed strong radical-scavenging activity and ferric reducing capacity.
Why it may work
The authors suggest the effect on fat oxidation during digestion comes from phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties.
What the authors conclude
“The results lend support to the possible application of rosemary or RE as a rich source of natural antioxidants to inhibit the oxidation of food lipids during gastrointestinal digestion.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the results support the possible use of rosemary or rosemary extract as a rich source of natural antioxidants to stop food fats from oxidizing during digestion.
How it was done
Oxidation of food fats can happen in the gut and may have unwanted health effects. Rosemary extract is a popular natural antioxidant used in food, but its effect on fat oxidation during digestion had not been well studied.
They added rosemary extract at 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg per kg of cooked pork and put the meat through a simulated gastric digestion. They also measured the total phenolic content of the extract and its antioxidant activity in water and in a buffer at pH 3.0.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a lab test that mimicked stomach digestion, not a study in people. It cannot show what happens inside the human body.
- The work looked only at cooked pork and did not test other foods or real meals.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, PR China; Henan Key Laboratory of Cold Chain Food Quality and Safety Control, PR China; Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Production and Safety, PR China
The paper
- Title
- Effect of rosemary extract on lipid oxidation of cooked pork during simulated gastric digestion
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Liu S, Zhang R, Fan L, Ma Y, Xiang Q (2020). Effect of rosemary extract on lipid oxidation of cooked pork during simulated gastric digestion. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.10194PubMed 31821565DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error