Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXVI, Issue 2
Written by Raluca-Aniela IRIMIA, Mara GEORGESCU, Liliana TUDOREANU, Manuella MILITARU
Following consumers high demand for healthier food, the food industry is more than ever interested in replacing traditional chemical preservatives with natural preservatives such as plant extracts and oils. Therefore, we have tested the preservation potential of the 1% (T1%) and 2% (T2%) Nigella sativa oil solutions on chicken meat. Five chicken breasts (m. Pectoralis major) were purchased and each of them was divided in three aliquots, corresponding to Control, T1% and T2%. All chicken breast aliquots were refrigerated for 6 days. The pH and Total Volatile Base Nitrogen (TVB-N) was measured for Control and treatments on day 1, day 3 and day 6. After 6 days of refrigeration, the T2% treated meat had a pH = 6.062 ± 0.042 and a TVB-N = (26.100 ± 0.644) (mg NH3/100g meat), values which were significantly different compared to Control. The pH and TVB-N values measured for T1% treated meat were not significantly different from Control after 6 days of refrigeration. The T2% was found to be the most efficient treatment for preserving the meat during a refrigeration period of 6 days.
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