Effect of Thyme Oil and Acetic Acid on The Quality and Shelf Life of Fresh Meat

Abstract

Meat industry is beginning to view meat shelf life as a serious issue. Organic acids and essential oils with antibacterial activities improve preservation of meat safety. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the preservation advantages of thyme oil, acetic acid, and a mixture of thyme oil and acetic acid (2% of each), as well as their effects on sensory characteristics, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of raw beef meat. The current study's findings demonstrated that treating raw beef meat with thyme oil, acetic acid at a concentration of 2% separately successfully lowered levels of APC, pH, TVBN, and TBARS and prolonged shelf life to 15 days when stored at 4°C. While the treatment with a combination of thyme oil and acetic acid at a concentration of 2% outperformed other treated and control groups leading to improving shelf life, and quality of raw beef meat. In conclusion, natural and organic preservatives may be utilized as an alternative to maintain meat and their products quality and extend their shelf life.