Rosemary extract and fat breakdown in cooked pork during lab digestion
What it found
In lab tests mimicking stomach digestion, rosemary extract slowed the breakdown of fats in cooked pork.
It also helped preserve fatty acids during the process.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Less fat breakdown product
In lab tests mimicking stomach digestion, adding 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 mg of rosemary extract per kg of pork lowered the amount of malondialdehyde formed. Malondialdehyde is a marker of fat breakdown.
Fatty acids preserved
The extract also reduced the loss of fatty acids when the cooked pork was put through simulated stomach digestion in the lab.
Other findings
Antioxidant strength measured
The total phenolic content of the extract was 170.67 mg gallic acid equivalent per g. In lab tests, it showed strong ability to neutralise free radicals and reduce iron.
What the authors conclude
- Their results support using rosemary or its extract as a rich source of natural antioxidants.
- They suggest it could help slow the breakdown of food fats during digestion in the gut.
How it was done
Fats can break down inside the gut, which may lead to unwanted health effects. Rosemary extract is widely used as a natural antioxidant in foods, but its effect on fat breakdown during digestion had not been well studied.
Researchers tested cooked pork mixed with rosemary extract using a lab setup that mimics stomach digestion. They added the extract at 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg per kg of pork. They measured how much the fats broke down under these conditions.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These were lab tests simulating stomach digestion, not studies in living people or animals. They cannot show what actually happens when someone eats pork seasoned with rosemary extract.
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 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error