Improving chicken meat shelf-life: Coating with whey protein isolate, nanochitosan, bacterial nanocellulose, and cinnamon essential oil

Abstract

This research investigated the impact of a food coating including whey protein isolate (WPI), nanochitosan (NCH), bacterial nanocellulose (BN), and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) on the microbiological, chemical, and sensory characteristics of chicken fillets throughout 12 days of refrigerated storage. The following treatments were applied to the fillets after they were randomly separated into five groups: 1. Control, 2. WPI, NCH, and BN (WPI-NC), 3. WPI, NCH, and BN+ 0.5% CEO (WPI-NC+ 0.5% CEO), 4. WPI, NCH, and BN+ 1% CEO (WPI-NC+ 1% CEO), and 5. WPI, NCH, and BN+ 1.5% CEO (WPI-NC+ 1.5% CEO). The results revealed that incorporating CEO into the WPI-NC coating significantly improved its antibacterial activity, effectively retarding the proliferation of mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Lactic acid bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, and Mold and Yeast. Moreover, the coating delayed the increase of total volatile bases-nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PV), and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels, indicating reduced spoilage. Comparing coated fillets to the control group, sensory evaluations demonstrated that they maintained superior taste, color, and odor. Overall, the WPI-NC+ 1.5% CEO coating prolonged the shelf life of chicken breast fillets by more than 5 days compared to the uncoated (control) group.