Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Professor, Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran
2
Associated professor, Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran
3
DVM Graduated from Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Chicken breast meat (fillet) is favored by consumers worldwide but it is prone to rapid spoilage, therefore, food industries are nowadays seeking technologies to increase its shelf-life. Spoilage of fresh poultry products is an economic burden to the producer. Furthermore, as consumer's demand for more “healthier” meals (free of conventional chemical preservatives) has increased in the last decade. Chitosan, a deacetylated form of chitin, is a polysaccharide found in the shells of crab and shrimps and the cell walls of fungi. Chitosan has been proved to be non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible. Essential oils derived from plants have been recognized for decades to exhibit biological activities, including antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial attributes. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of chitosan edible coating (2%) containing rosemary essential oil (1%) on the shelf life and keeping quality of chicken breast meat at refrigerated storage temperature. Samples were separated into three groups; uncoated (control), treated with acetic acid 1% and coated with chitosan containing rosemary essential oil. Samples were stored at 4±1°C up to 15 days and evaluated periodically (on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15) for microbiological (mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacterial counts), chemical (pH, TBA, TVN) and sensory (external aspect, muscular elasticity, odor and color) characteristics. Microbial analysis indicated that coating had significant effects (P<0.05) in reducing the mesophilic and psychrophilic bacterial counts with at least a 15days extension of shelf life. Also, the samples coated with chitosan containing rosemary essential oil were showed lower TVN ,TBA and pH than other groups during the storage time and about of the sensorial factors. The samples coated with chitosan containing rosemary essential oil can keep on the sensorial attributes acceptably during 15 days storage time.
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