Evaluation of the effect of chitosan coating on microbiological and oxidative properties of refrigerated beef

Beef is an animal food sensitive to deterioration with short shelf-life due to its rich nutrient content. Many studies concerned with the use of edible coating are carried out to increase the shelf life of beef. In this study, it was aimed to extend the shelf life of beef using chitosan. For this purpose, the bovine meat was coated with chitosan and stored at +4 oC for 7 days. Total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Stapylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp. counts and thiobarbituric acid values were analyzed. As a result, it was found that the chitosan coating reduced the TMAB, Pseudomonas spp. counts and TBARS values (P < 0.05) and inhibited all S. aureus up to day 5 of storage. According to the data obtained from this study, it has been concluded that chitosan can be used as a bio-preservative in the meat industry due to the antimicrobial and antioxidantive properties.