Effect of sage seed gum edible coating incorporated with leaves of lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) essential oil nanoemulsion on chemical, microbial and sensory properties of fresh Turkey meat

The objective of this study was to develop an edible coating formulated with sage seed gum (SSG) and lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) essential oil (EO) nanoemulsions (NEOs) to extend the shelf life of turkey meat. Coatings were prepared with 1.5% and 3% EO and their corresponding NEO forms. Subsequently, the characteristics of the coating solutions (antioxidant and antimicrobial activity) and the physicochemical (pH, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA)), microbial, and sensory qualities of coated turkey were investigated during 16 days of refrigerated storage. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified caryophyllene oxide, spathulenol, and ar-curcumene as the major components of (A) citrodora EO. The NEO exhibited a droplet size of approximately 94.3 nm and a zeta potential of -46.2 mV. The coating solution containing SSG and 3% NEO demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity compared to other formulations. The control group exhibited a significant increase in total PV and TBA values during storage. Conversely, the SSG-3% NEO group displayed the lowest PV (0.43 meq O2/kg fat) and TBA (0.75 mg MDA/kg) values. Furthermore, the incorporation of EO and NEO exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of bacterial growth and enhanced the antimicrobial activity of the SSG coating against (B) cereus, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli. Additionally, SSG coatings containing EO/NEO improved the sensory quality of turkey meat, with the SSG-3% NEO-coated group receiving the highest sensory scores after 16 days. These findings suggest that the SSG-NEO edible active coating possesses promising applications as an antimicrobial and antioxidant agent for meat products.