Surface decontamination and quality enhancement in meat steaks using plant extracts as natural biopreservatives

Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2012 Aug;9(8):755-61. doi: 10.1089/fpd.2012.1203. Epub 2012 Jul 24.

Abstract

Nine plant extracts were evaluated as biopreservatives to decontaminate and maintain the quality of meat steaks. Most of the extracts exhibited a remarkable antibacterial activity against antibiotic resistant strains from Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. The pomegranate peel extract (PPE), cinnamon bark extract (CBE), and lemon grass leaves extract (LGE) were the most effective as bactericides, with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 250, 350, and 550 μg/mL, respectively. The most effective treatments, for decontaminating meat steak surfaces, were the application of combined PPE, CBE, and LGE at their MIC values and the treatment with double MIC from PPE; these treatments resulted in complete bacterial inhibitions during the first 2 days of storage period for 7 days. The sensory evaluation of treated steaks revealed that these two treatments had the highest panelist overall scores. The highest scores, for individual attributes, were observed in the treated steaks with double MIC from PPE. Application of plant extracts could be impressively recommended for comprehensive meat decontamination and quality attributes enhancement.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Cattle
  • Cinnamomum zeylanicum / chemistry
  • Consumer Product Safety
  • Cymbopogon / chemistry
  • Food Contamination / prevention & control*
  • Food Microbiology
  • Food Preservatives / pharmacology*
  • Food Quality
  • Humans
  • Lythraceae / chemistry
  • Meat / microbiology*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Salmonella typhimurium / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Food Preservatives
  • Plant Extracts