Effect of chitosan coating containing oregano essential oil on shelf life of chicken fillets during refrigerated storage

Regarding to very perishable property of chicken meat, it is still one of the main protein sources in the diet of most parts of the world. One way to increase the shelf life of meat is using of edible coatings and herbal essences. In this study, chitosan edible coating and oregano essential oils were used to enhance the shelf life of chicken fillets during refrigerating conditions. three Group including uncoated samples (control) T1, treated with acetic acid 1% (T2) and immersed in a solution containing 2% chitosan and 1% oregano essential oil (T3) were considered. All samples were stored at refrigerator temperature (4 ± 1 °C) for 15 days and microbial (bacterial count of mesophilic and psychrophilic) and chemical (pH, thiobarbituric acid and total volatile nitrogen) tests were evaluated at regular intervals storage time (days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15). The results showed that in all cases the total count of mesophilic and psychrophilic significantly (p