Chitosan coating with grape peel extract: A promising coating to enhance the freeze–thaw stability of beef

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of chitosan coating with grape peel extracts (CH + GPE) on the physiochemical properties, protein and lipid oxidation, microstructure, and bacterial community diversity of beef during freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles. The results indicated that the CH + GPE groups had lower pH values, total aerobic count, total volatile base nitrogen, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values and better protection against color, water holding capacity, and sensory quality after five F–T cycles. The CH + GPE coating effectively inhibited beef microstructure destruction during the F–T cycles. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the CH + GPE coating contributed to a decline in the bacterial diversity of beef and inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Interestingly, the CH + GPE coating affected the correlation between quality parameters and bacteria in beef. Consequently, the CH + GPE coating can be used as a novel packaging for preventing the loss of frozen meat quality due to temperature fluctuations.