Assessment of chitosan coating enriched with Citrus limon essential oil on the quality characteristics and shelf life of beef meat during cold storage

The present work aimed to assess the effects of chitosan coating comprising Citrus limon essential oil (CLEO) as an antimicrobial and antioxidant on the quality and the shelf-life of beef meat during storage in cold temperatures. The microbial, chemical, and sensory characteristics of beef meat were repeatedly evaluated. The outcomes showed that CLEO had a substantial preservative effect on refrigerated beef meat by reducing total volatile basic nitrogen compounds (TVB-N), inhibiting the replication of microorganisms (p < 0.05), and decreasing oxidation (p < 0.05) during storage. The incorporation of CLEO into chitosan coating significantly reduced (p < 0.05), TBARS, especially for the Nano-CS- ClEO 2 % and 4 % groups, with values at the end of storage of approximately 0.68 and 1.01 mg MDA/kg respectively. Moreover, the meat treatments with essential oils led to lower carbonyl content production in compared to other groups that treated without essential oils. Coated beef meat had the highest inhibitory effects against microbial growth. The counts of Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), psychrophilic, and mesophilic bacteria were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the Nano-CS- ClEO 2 % (1.1, 4.2, 6.2, and 6.32 Log CFU/g, respectively) at day 16. The sensory evaluation indicated that this coating with chitosan nanoemulsions in combination with ClEOs could significantly preserve sensory characteristics of beef meat during storage. Moreover, concerning sensory features, the control samples gained the maximum score. Additionally, the group that contains chitosan in combination with 4 % ClEO nanoliposomes had the highest inhibition of microbial growth, reduced sensory changes, and extending the shelf life of beef meat (p < 0.05). In conclusion, nanoemulsions containing Citrus limon essential oil had a significant preservation effect on beef meat during refrigerated storage by preventing the microorganism's proliferation and decreasing the oxidation of fat and protein (p < 0.05). Therefore, they are suggested to extend the durability of fresh meat products during refrigerated storage.