Evaluation of the combined coating effect of chitosan-cress seed gum composite with hydrolyzed protein from sesame meal on the microbial spoilage of refrigerated ostrich fillets

Subject Areas : Food Hygiene

mahsa sadat sajadi ¹ , Mahdi Sharifi Soltani ^{2 *} , پیمان آریایی ³ , سارا جعفریان ⁴

1 - PhD student, Department of Food Science and Technology, Nour Branch, Islamic Azad University, Nour, Iran
2 - Department of Veterinary, Agriculture Faculty, Islamic Azad University. Chalous Branch. Chalous. Iran
3 - Department of Food Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University. Ayatollah Amoli Branch. Amol. Iran
4 - Department of Food Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University. Nour Branch. Nour. Iran

Received: 2024-12-29 Accepted : 2025-04-30 Published : 2025-05-21

Keywords: Sesame meal, Chitosan-cress seed gum composite coating, Hydrolyzed protein, Ostrich,

Abstract :

Ostrich meat (Struthio camelus) is recognized as one of the leanest and healthiest red meats, with shelf life being a critical factor for both the meat industry and consumers. This study evaluated the effect of a composite edible coating composed of chitosan and cress seed gum (CH-CSG), in combination with sesame meal protein hydrolysate (SMPH), on the shelf life of ostrich fillets during 12 days of refrigerated storage. SMPH was initially produced using microbial proteases (alcalase and flavourzyme), and its protein content and degree of hydrolysis were assessed. To examine the preservation efficacy, four treatments were applied: a control (no coating), CH-CSG coating alone, CH-CSG with 0.5% SMPH, and CH-CSG with 1% SMPH. pH, total viable count, and psychrotrophic bacterial count were monitored at regular intervals. The results indicated that SMPH produced using alcalase (90 min) exhibited significantly higher protein content and degree of hydrolysis compared to that made with flavourzyme (p < 0.05). Fillets treated with the SMPH-enriched coatings showed significantly reduced microbial growth (p < 0.05) relative to both the control and the CH-CSG coating without SMPH. Notably, the treatment containing CH-CSG and 1% SMPH was the most effective, maintaining microbial counts below the acceptable limit (7 log CFU/g) throughout the storage period, whereas the control samples exceeded this threshold after six days. These findings suggest that the CH-CSG coating enriched with 1% SMPH is a promising natural preservative for extending the shelf life of ostrich meat.