Effect of Orange Peel Essential Oil as a Natural Preservative on Characteristics of Turkey Meat Stored in Refrigerator

The tendency to consume turkey meat and meat products is increasing due to its high nutritional value. But due to its perishability, many researchers are looking for new solutions to increase its storage time and maintain its quality. Thus the purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of orange peel essential oil (OPEO) and its effect on the microbial, physicochemical and sensory properties of turkey meat during 12 days of storage at refrigerator temperature.  The chemical composition of OPEO was identified using GC/MS device. Three groups of turkey meat samples (control, 0.5 and 1%) of OPEO were packed and kept in the refrigerator and at regular intervals (days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12) for microbial tests (total count of aerobic, Pcychrotrophic, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, lactic acid, MIC and MBC), chemical (pH, TV-N, TBARS) and sensory (taste, aroma, appearance, texture and overall acceptance) were evaluated.  The results of GC/MS showed the presence of effective compounds with antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, especially D-limonene (71.47%). The results of microbial tests showed that treatments of turkey meat containing 1% OPEO had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the reduction of the bacteria population compared to the treatment of 0.5% OPEO and control samples. The MIC for Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was determined as 4 mg/ml and MBC was determined as 8 and 4 mg/ml, respectively. Lower values ​​of pH, TV-N and TBARS, the highest sensory scores in terms of taste, aroma, appearance, texture and general acceptability were obtained in turkey meat treatments containing orange peel essence compared to the control group.  It can be said that due to its antimicrobial properties OPEO can be used as a natural preservative to increase the shelf life and sensory improvement of turkey meat samples during storage at refrigerator temperature.