Combined effects of alginate based active edible coatings and irradiation treatment on the quality characteristics of Beef Meat at 2°C

Abstract

Preserving meat products’ quality and increasing their shelf life along with meeting consumers demand for healthier products, are the main challenges for meat industries. Therefore, developing plant-based sources in meat product preservation is highly recommended in order to improve the biological properties. For that, this work aimed to develop edible alginate-based films enriched with myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extracts as active compounds and evaluates their effects on fresh beef meat characteristics during storage for a period of 12 d at 2°C. These treatments were compared to those of irradiation treatment solely or combined with the edible films. Therefore, six treatments were developed: uncoated samples (CON); samples with edible coating (AEC); samples with edible coating enriched with 200 ppm of rosemary extract (ROS); samples with edible coating enriched with 200 ppm of myrtle extract (MYRT); irradiated samples (IRR); and irradiated samples with edible coating (IRAC). The addition of myrtle extract and the use of irradiation treatment have significantly delayed (P<0.001) the lipid oxidation of meat by lowering TBARS values to 0.39, 0.58, and 0.52 mg MDA/kg for MYRT, IRR and IRAC groups, respectively, whereas it reaches 1.14 mg of MDA/kg for CON group. MYRT and ROS samples had the highest free radical scavenging activity (P<0.001) with an inhibition capacity of around 64.8 and 62.7%, respectively. Coated samples had a higher red (a*) and chroma indices, compared to control and irradiated groups with mean values of 14.63; 17.18 vs 10.08; 12.15, respectively. Alginate coating significantly decreased firmness compared to the control (0.48 vs 0.67 for AEC and CON, respectively). Irradiation and coating significantly (P<0.05) inhibited microbial growth up to 12 days of storage. In conclusion, edible coatings enriched with natural antioxidants significantly enhance the oxidative stability and microbiological safety of meat products, resulting in a shelf life extension of up to 6 days. This finding highlights their potential as a powerful and effective alternative to irradiation treatments, offering a natural solution for the food industry to improve product quality and safety.