Impact of Various Herbal Essential Oil Nanoemulsions on the Freshness and Shelf Life of Minced Meat

Abstract

Nano-emulsions derived from essential oils have emerged as a promising approach to improving the preservation of meat products by utilizing their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Therefore, the current study was planned to evaluate the impact of ginger (GNE), thyme (TNE) and lemongrass (LNE) essential oil-based nanoemulsions (NEs) on the sensory, bacteriological and chemical criteria of minced meat shelf life and keeping quality by the concentrations of 1.0 and 2.0% for each during refrigeration. Results revealed that the different investigated treatments showed potent potential enhancement ability in the keeping quality and acceptability of the treated minced meat samples; especially with higher concentrations. Organoleptic, bacteriological and chemical evaluations showed superiority of lemongrass NEs over ginger and thyme NEs; where, the treated samples with LNE-treated samples kept their acceptability scores up to twelve and eighteen days of storage. Moreover, the mean total bacterial count (TBC), pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) were 3.3 and 3.7, 5.65 and 5.72, 18.9 and 19.4, 0.75 and 0.84 at the 12th day for LNE 1.0% and 18th day for LNE 2.0%; from which, it appeared that the action of the used materials depends basically on the concentration of the additive and time of storage. After all, the used NEs showed a potent preservative effect on the treated minced meat samples represented by significant (P≤0.05) extension in the sensory acceptability, reduction in the bacterial counts, and retardation in the chemical indices of freshness raising up; so, it permits recommendation for its use safely in minced meat preservation.