Effectiveness of gelatine and chitosan spray coating for extendin shelf life of vacuum-packaged beef

The effects of applying gelatine (10%) and chitosan (1%) as spray coatings to extend the shelf life of vacuum-packaged beef was studied and compared against uncoated vacuum-packaged beef for up to 21 days. The impact of edible coatings on the water-holding properties of vacuum-packaged beef was investigated by LF-NMR together with physicochemical, microbiological and sensorial assessments. Chitosan coating significantly reduced lipid oxidation by similar to 30% to 36% and inhibited the growth of lactic acid bacteriaby similar to 1 - 2 log cfu compared to purge collected from uncoated and gelatine coated samples. It did not negatively affect the meat pH, tenderness and colour, and exhibited significantly higher sensorial acceptance compared to beef coated with gelatine. Both coatings were not effective in reducing purge loss in vacuumpackaged meat as the storage time increased. This study suggests that chitosan spray coating could be easily adapted to industrial plant settings as an antioxidant and antimicrobial application before carrying out meat vacuum packaging operation.