Shelf Life Extension of Veal Meat by Edible Coating Incorporated with Zataria multiflora Essential Oil

The present research aimed to investigate the preservative effects of a sodium caseinate (SC) coating enriched withZataria multifloraBoiss. essential oil (ZMEO) at 0.5, 1, or 1.5% on the product life of meat during storage at 4 degrees C. Over a 15-day period, the meat samples were refrigerated and analyzed every five days. The treated samples had markedly less psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and total viable counts relative to the control throughout storage. In terms of the sensory, chemical (PV, TBARS, and pH), and microbial characterization, undesirable results were attained in the control sample after 10 days of refrigerated storage, whereas samples coated with SC/ZMEO, especially at higher essential oil concentrations (1 and 1.5%), proved to be significantly more stable (P<0.05). However, high concentration of ZMEO (1.5%) gave an unpleasant effect on sensory attributes of meat samples. Notably, the SC/1% ZMEO coating led to good overall acceptability of the veal specimens even after 15 days of refrigeration. Hence, this coating is recommended as a replacement for synthetic preservatives and flavorings for meat products given that it preserved the quality of refrigerated veal samples for over two weeks.