Development of novel antimicrobial coatings incorporating linalool and eugenol to improve the microbiological quality and safety of raw chicken

Incorporating natural antimicrobial agents in antimicrobial coatings has recently been gaining more attention. This study aimed to develop novel coatings with incorporated natural antimicrobial compounds (linalool, eugenol) to improve the quality and safety of raw chicken during storage at 4 °C. Coatings consisting of chitosan and gelatine (C/G) mixes (40:60 ratio) revealed lower viscosities above 30 °C, while the shear thinning behaviour of chitosan and gelatine was maintained. Furthermore, the antimicrobial coatings, when applied to raw chicken samples resulted in lower pH and TBARS levels compared to the control during storage. Also, raw chicken coated with the antimicrobial coatings containing 0.5 and 0.7 mg/mL of linalool and eugenol suppressed Lactic-acid-bacteria and Total-Plate-Counts under the spoilage level (7-logs CFU/g) and showed that they can increase the microbiological shelf-life of the product up to two days during storage at 4 °C. Results also showed that the coated samples exhibited a significantly lower Listeria monocytogenes population than the control samples during storage. Conclusively, this study revealed that adding linalool and eugenol in C/G coatings can enhance the shelf-life and safety of raw chicken.