Effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil combined with different packaging conditions to extend the shelf life of refrigerated beef meat

Veronica Sirocchi; Frank Devlieghere; Nanou Peelman; Gianni Sagratini; Filippo Maggi; Sauro Vittori; Peter Ragaert

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.054

Effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil combined with different packaging conditions to extend the shelf life of refrigerated beef meat

Food Chem. 2017 Apr 15:221:1069-1076. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.054. Epub 2016 Nov 11.

Authors

Veronica Sirocchi¹, Frank Devlieghere², Nanou Peelman², Gianni Sagratini³, Filippo Maggi¹, Sauro Vittori¹, Peter Ragaert²

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Sant' Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
² Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, University of Ghent, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
³ School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Sant' Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy. Electronic address: gianni.sagratini@unicam.it.

PMID: 27979060
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.054

Abstract

Rosemary essential oil (REO) contains bioactives having antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. This work investigated the effect of REO combined with modified atmosphere packaging conditions (MAP), in our case, aerobic, vacuum or high O₂, to extend the shelf life of beef. Beef slices were wrapped in special three-layer sheets of packaging material, some with a coating of REO (active packaging, AP), and some without REO (non active packaging, NAP), and stored at 4°C for 20days. The use of REO proved efficacious in every storage condition, as seen in the lower counts of psychrotrophics, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Pseudomonas spp., and Enterobacteriaceae in AP meat compared to NAP meat. Sensory and colourimetric analyses showed that the best packaging conditions were high-O₂ atmosphere in combination with REO. Based on microbiological data, shelf life of beef was 5-6days for AP samples packaged under aerobic conditions and 14-15days for AP samples in high-O₂ conditions.

Keywords: Active packaging; Essential oil; Meat preservation; Modified atmosphere; Rosmarinus officinalis L..

MeSH terms

Animals
Atmosphere / analysis
Brochothrix / drug effects
Brochothrix / physiology
Cattle
Colony Count, Microbial / methods
Food Microbiology / methods
Food Packaging / methods*
Food Preservation / methods*
Oils, Volatile / administration & dosage*
Oils, Volatile / isolation & purification
Plant Components, Aerial
Red Meat / analysis*
Red Meat / microbiology
Refrigeration / methods*
Rosmarinus*
Vacuum

Substances

Oils, Volatile
rosemary oil