Impact of some essential oils on the quality of chilled minced beef

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the addition of some essential oil extraction from natural herbs (Clove, cinnamon, and thyme) on the stability and quality of raw chilled minced beef. Two factors were used in the research, namely: concentration of essential oil (0.25% and 0.5% and mixed with different extracted essential oils respectively) and shelf life at refrigerated temperatures (3°C ±1) (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days). The parameters analyzed were pH value, total volatile nitrogen (TVN), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, and microbial analysis. In general, obtained results showed that adding 0.25% and 0.5 % of essential oils of chilled minced beef samples had a positive effect on the physical properties, quality attributes and microbiological changes in minced beef meat during chilled storage. The samples contained thyme and cinnamon essential oils under levels 0.50 % recorded the best treatments. While the mixing from different essential oils showed low effect on the stability of chilled minced beef meat. In conclusion, using essential oils (Clove, cinnamon, and thyme) alone gave better results than mixed, as safe natural preservatives to improve the stability and quality of chilled minced beef.