Effects of edible chitosan coating containing Salvia rosmarinus essential oil on quality characteristics and shelf life extension of rabbit meat during chilled storage

Abstract

Rabbit meat is one of the most consumed meats throughout the world and is extremely susceptible to spoilage due to its high protein and moisture content. Natural preservatives with antioxidant and antibacterial properties are needed to maintain meat quality and increase its shelf life. This study examined the effect of 1% chitosan (CH), 0.2% rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) essential oil (REO), and their combination on pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels, and the microbial profile of rabbit meat stored over 12 days at 4 °C. During this time, changes in appearance, odor, and texture were also noted. The shelf lives of samples treated with only 1% CH coating, or in combination with 0.2% REO, were longer than those of untreated samples. These results showed that samples treated with both CH and REO were still acceptable until the 12th day and resulted in significantly lower meat demerit scores in these treated groups compared with untreated meat. In all groups, the pH, TVB-N, and TBA values increased over time, but these values were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in untreated samples. Microbial analysis results showed that chilled rabbit meat samples treated with combined 1% CH and 0.2% REO reduced Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, and Psychrotrophic counts. The experimental results demonstrated that using CH coating in combination with REO improved the quality of rabbit meat and could be an effective approach to reduce rabbit meat deterioration during chilled storage.

Characterisation of chitosan coating incorporated with oleuropein and its effects on the quality of refrigerated chicken breasts

“…Pathogenic microorganisms in food are the main culprits in food poisoning incidents. The packaging films containing bioactive ingredients can not only isolate microorganisms but also inhibit the growth of microorganisms owing to their antibacterial properties (El Bayomi et al ., 2023). The growth curve of bacteria in chicken breast samples was measured in this study and the results were shown in Fig.…”

“…As chemical substances, they are sensitive to pH, temperature and oxygen. Additionally, phenolics may potentially affect the physicochemical stability of the complicated food matrix (El Bayomi et al ., 2023). In this context, composite coating technology was a promising method attributed to protecting active ingredients.…”

Determination of microbiological quality of boiled crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) samples treated with chitosan

“…Thus, chitosan can be defined as an effective strategy to provide meat quality and shelf life by limiting bacteria counts in foods. The mechanism of the antimicrobial property and efficiency of chitosan could be associated with interaction among positive biopolymer molecules and negative charges in cell structure (No et al, 2007;Abdel-Naeem et al, 2021;El Bayoml et al, 2023).…”

“…For the count of EBc in the samples examined, the number of colonies formed after 24 h incubation at 37±1°C determined the growth as stated by Harrigan (1998). All results given as reduction % in Tables 2-6 were calculated according to the formula determined by El Bayoml et al (2023).…”

Rabbit meat as a potential source of multidrug-resistant and enterotoxigenic <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> strains

“…Rabbit meat is a popular culinary product and one of the most consumed meats throughout the world. Its use has recently grown in a number of the Middle Eastern countries, notably Egypt [3][4][5]. It is recognized as an excellent source of easily digestible animal protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), vitamins, and minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc), while being low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol [6].…”