ABSTRACT:
The recent approach in food technology focus on finding not only safe and natural biocide, but also being an alternative for the chemical preservatives. Essential oils (EOs) have the ability to act as bactericidal, antitoxigenic, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitic besides being flavoring agents. So, it considers a promising new concern to fulfill this purpose. The present study was designed to express the shelf life of minced meat incorporated with lettuce oil 3%, cumin oil 2 % and marjoram oil 2% throughout a refrigerated period at 4°C and to screen the bioactivity of the aforementioned essential oils with its different concentrations. The count of the total Enterobacteriaceae in the group treated with Marjoram oil 2% was 4.57±0.25, 4.90±0.96, 5.53±0.87, 5.79±0.42 and 6.02±0.34 log10 cfu/g at zero day, and 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th day, respectively, with regarding tolettuce oil 3% the total Enterobacteriaceae countwas4.69±0.30, 5.06±0.70, 5.62±0.37,5.82±0.02 and 6.08±0.62 log10 cfu/g at zero day, and 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th day, respectively. While the total Enterobacteriaceae count of cumin oil 2% was4.62 ± 0.51, 5.04 ± 0.89,5.60± 0.30, 5.81 ± 0.25,6.05 ± 0.25 log10 cfu/g at zero day, and 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th day, respectively.In this study the antibacterial effect of lettuce oil 3%, cumin oil 2 % and marjoram oil 2% was recorded and proved with varying degree of potency leading to extent the shelf life of the minced meat. So, they could be utilized effectively as bioactive agents.