Increasing Beef Shelf Life Using Bioactive Edible Coating Based on Dragon’s Head Seed Mucilage Loaded with Caraway Essential Oil

In this research, the effect of edible coating prepared from dragon’s head seed mucilage loaded with caraway essential oil was investigated on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of meat. The edible coating significantly inhibited the pH increment and moisture and texture losses of meat, and the coated samples had higher oxidative stability (lower peroxide and thiobarbituric acid values) compared to the control one. The growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in the coated meats were significantly lower than that in the control sample (p < 0.05) and this effect was more pronounced in the presence of higher essential oil concentrations. The sensory properties of meat were also preserved better in the presence of the bioactive edible coating. The edible coating based on the dragon’s head and caraway essential oil could be considered as a novel bioactive packaging to increase the oxidative and microbial stability and improve the sensory properties of meat products.