Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oil Nanoemulsion of Heracleum persicum on Quality and Shelf-life of Shrimp Nuggets

Plant essential oils are volatile aromatic oil compounds that have been addressed as natural preservatives due to their strong antibacterial and antioxidant characteristics. In this study, effects of using Heracleum persicum essential oil nanoemulsion on the shelf life of shrimp nuggets were investigated.

Chemical compounds of Heracleum persicum essential oil were assessed using gas chromatography. Effects of H.persicum essential oil nanoemulsion containing concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 % on the shrimp nugget shelf life stored for 15 days were assessed at refrigerator temperature. The parameters assessed included thiobarbituric acid index, peroxide value, free fatty acids, total volatile basic nitrogen, total viable count and sample color indicators.

The major compounds of the H.persicum essential oil include 43.29% butanoic acid, cyclopropane 14.14%, methylbutane 5.50% and hexanoic acid 5.27%. After coating the shrimp nuggets with H.persicum essential oil nanoemulsion, pH of various treatments included no significant differences (p> 0.05). During 15 days of cold storage, thiobarbituric acid index, peroxide value, free fatty acids, total volatile basic nitrogen and total viable count increased. The lowest levels of these indices were observed at the end of the storage time in samples with 2% concentration of H.persicum essential oil nanoemulsion (p< 0.05). The color index of b* decreased by increasing the essential oil percentage, but the indices of L* and a* were not significant (p> 0.05). The 2% H.persicum essential oil nanoemulsion treatment showed the highest efficiency of increases in shrimp nuggets (p < 0.05).

Shrimp nuggets in 2% essential oil nanoemulsion treatment included the permissible limit of consumption until Day 9 and this treatment was able to increase shelf life of the nuggets for three further days, compared to the control and other treatments.