Examination of microbial and chemical properties of chicken fillet treated with Satureja rechingeri essential oil, sodium dodecyl sulfate and citric acid during refrigerated storage

The effects of Satureja rechingeri essential oil (Sr-EO), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and citric acid on increasing the shelf life of chicken fillets during refrigerated storage were investigated. The treatments included 28 chicken fillets divided into four groups, with three replicates each. Each group was immersed in a solution containing normal saline (control), 0.5% Sr-EO, 0.5% Sr-EO + 0.5% SDS, or 0.5% Sr-EO + 0.5% SDS + 0.1% citric acid for 15 min and refrigerated for 15 days. Bacterial quality (mesophilic and psychrophilic total counts), chemical analysis (pH, TBA, and TVN), and sensory evaluation were performed on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. The bacterial load of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria increased over time for all four groups, but the number of bacteria in Sr-EO + SDS + citric acid group for mesophilic microbial index and in Sr-EO + SDS group for psychrophilic microbial index was less than that in other samples. At the end of storage time, the highest TVN value was observed for control group (41.06 ± 8.29 g / 100 g) and the lowest value (33 mg / 100 g) was found for Sr-EO+SDS +citric acid group followed by Sr-EO+SDS and Sr-EO groups. There were no significant differences in the TBA value and pH between the treatment and control samples. The control group showed undesirable and unacceptable sensory properties on day 6 whereas the sensory factors of Sr-EO and SDS+Sr-EO groups were within the optimal range of consumer acceptance until days 9 and 6, respectively. The results showed that compared to controls, the SDS+Sr-EO solution was more effective in extending the shelf life of refrigerated chicken fillets to four days. This type of combined treatment could be a useful way to increase the refrigerated storage time of chicken meat.