Effect of tarragon and savory essential oils on the microbial, physicochemical and sensory properties in minced beef

This study aimed to study the effect of tarragon and savory essential oils on the shelf life of minced beef. Appropriate concentrations of tarragon and savory essential oils were determined by sensory and microbial tests and mixed with minced beef. The treatment and control samples weighing about 100g were packaged in polyethylene containers and stretched films. Microbial, physicochemical and sensory assessments were performed on the samples every day for five days. The results showed that the trend of increasing aerobic mesophilic bacteria in control samples was significantly different (P <0.05) from the second day until the end of the five-day storage period. Similar results were observed for psychrotrophs and coliforms. From the day thee, the pH difference in the control and treatment groups was significant (P <0.05). Peroxide value, total volatile nitrogen content as well as sensory properties of tarragon and savory treatments had almost similar results. Nonetheless, from the third to the fifth day there was a significant difference (P <0.05) between the control and treatment groups. It seems that the use of tarragon and savory essential oils can retain the population of spoilage bacteria below the allowable level, for up to four and five days, respectively. It was concluded that tarragon and savory essential oils can be used as natural antimicrobial/antioxidants to improve the sensory properties of minced meat.