Shelf Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fresh Ostrich Meat by Active Chitosan Coating Enriched With Fennel Extract

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of chitosan (CS, 2%, w/v), fennel extract (FE, 1.5%, v/v), and CS + FE (2%, w/v CS + 1.5%, v/v FE) coatings on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of ostrich meat (OM) at 0, 7, and 15 days of refrigerated storage. The obtained results showed that the use of coatings for OM samples demonstrated a significant enhancement in moisture retention and a decrease in pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total volatile nitrogen (TVB-N), and peroxide value (PV) values compared to the control one, which were 6.34, 0.53 mg/kg, 15.14 mg/100 g, and 2.64 meq/kg, respectively for the CS + FE coating sample, at the 15th day. At the end of the storage time, the total viable count (TVC), psychrophilic bacteria count (PBC), and lactic acid bacteria count (LABC) of the control sample notably (p < 0.05) decreased from 8.92, 6.86, and 5.45 to 6.24, 5.78, and 3.2 log10 CFU/g when coated with CS + FE, respectively. Additionally, sensory evaluation revealed that the treatments did not remarkably affect the initial sensory characteristics of OM and decreased their deterioration throughout storage. In conclusion, the application of the CS + FE coating could be considered a promising alternative to artificial preservatives for meat and meat products, as it extends the shelf life of OM in the refrigerator by more than 2 weeks.