A review on the use of Essential oils as natural antimicrobial agents in meat and meat products

Subject Areas : Food Microbial Contamination

Seyedeh Khadijeh Ahmadisheikhshabani ¹ , seyedeh fatemeh ahmadi ² , Azizollah Fallah Mehrjardi ³

1 - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 - Department of Food Science and Technology, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad ‎University, Shahrekord
3 - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

Received: 2022-09-02 Accepted : 2023-10-10 Published : 2023-09-23

Keywords: Essential oils, Natural preservatives, Bioactive compounds, meat, : antimicrobial packaging,

Abstract :

With the increase in the amount of food production, the need for maintenance is felt in order to deliver healthy and high-quality food to consumers. Today, extensive research has been done in relation to the use of natural antimicrobial compounds to deal with pathogens of food origin, and it has been determined that these compounds are a suitable alternative to chemical antimicrobial compounds. Plant essential oils have good antimicrobial properties due to the presence of polyphenolic compounds. Meat is the main source of protein of animal origin, which is considered one of the most perishable foods due to its abundant nutrients. Nowadays, the use of food coatings containing natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, including plant essential oils, is one of the new methods of preservation, which has a good potential to prevent pathogenic microorganisms and also increase the shelf life. They have the shelf life of meat products and are able to increase the shelf life and preserve the natural appearance of meat and meat products. It is interesting to note that active films containing essential oils provide an environmentally friendly solution in the meat industry. In general, active food packaging has shown a suitable technology for improving meat quality and reducing waste in the food industry. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the antimicrobial effects of different plant essential oils and their synergistic effects in meat preservation.