Effect of virgin olive oil nanoemulsion combined with ajowan (Carum copticum) essential oil on the quality of lamb loins stored under chilled condition

This survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of virgin olive oil nanoemulsion (ONE) combined with ajowan (Carum copticum) essential oil (AEO) on quality of lamb loin under refrigerated condition. The treatments were control, ONE, ONE + 1% AEO, and ONE + 2% AEO. The treatments caused a delay in growth of mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria during chilled storage. The increasing rate of total volatile nitrogen content, lipid and protein oxidation, metmyoglobin formation, and color deterioration was more retarded in treatment groups. The treatments including ONE + 1% AEO and ONE + 2% AEO were more efficient than ONE alone to delay microbial flora growth, slow down oxidative processes, and improve color in the loins. According to the results of microbial, chemical, and sensory parameters, shelflife of lamb loins was 4 days in control, 8 days in ONE, and at least 16 days in ONE + 1% AEO and ONE + 2% AEO groups. In conclusion, combination of ONE and AEO is appropriate as natural preservative to extend the shelflife of lamb loins stored under chilled condition. (c) 2022 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).