Background/aim: Fresh fish is highly susceptible to spoilage with shorter shelf life especially during refrigeration storage. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of essential oils (EOs) of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Cinnamon (Cinnamomic zeylanicum), and Garlic (Allium sativum) with concentrations of 0.5 and 1% of each on sensory acceptability of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish fillet during refrigeration storage at 4 ±1˚C and their ability to increase shelf life. The impact of these EOs on Aeromonas hydrophila contamination was also investigated.
Results: The results of the sensory evaluation showed that the overall acceptability of control samples significantly decreased as compared to EOs-treated samples. There was a higher significant (P< 0.05) difference in the overall acceptability among different EOs, with the lowest scores in garlic EOs and the highest in 1% thyme oil. There was a positive effect on the shelf-life extension of fish fillet samples which differed according to type and concentration of EOs. The shelf life of samples treated with thyme oil was 12 days in the refrigerator and still fit for human consumption. In addition to reduction percentage of Aeromonas hydrophila count with significance difference (P< 0.01) among different EOs showed better results for thyme oils compared to other EOs.
Conclusion: Using EOs reduced Aeromonas hydrophila growth without any adverse effect on the sensory attributes of the treated Nile tilapia fillets samples.