Effect of Thymus Serpyllum and Ocimum Basilicum Essential Oils on the Shelf-Life of Chicken’s Meat during Refrigerated Storage

The aim of this study was to investigate the microbiological quality of chicken’s thighs meat after application of Thymus serpyllum and Ocimum basilicum essential oils with combination of vacuum packaging and EDTA treatment. The microbiological quality of control samples without vacuum packaging, vacuum packed with and without EDTA treatment, vacuum packed and treated with EDTA and samples treated with the essential oils of basil and breckland thyme were followed for 16 days. Microbiological analyses were conducted with standard microbiological methods. For anaerobic plate count, PCA agar was inoculated and incubated for 2 days at 35°C anaerobically. Pseudomonas spp. count was determined on Pseudomonas Isolation agar after incubation at 48 h at 25°C. For lactic acid bacteria (LAB), MRS agar was inoculated and incubated for 48-78 h at 37°C microaerophilly. For Enterobacteriaceae, VRBG agar was inoculated and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. Anaerobic plate count ranged from 2.89 log CFU/g in all tested group on 0 day to 5.19 log CFU/g on 16 day in control group stored in air. LAB count ranged from 3.01 log CFU/g in all tested group on 0 day to 4.08 log CFU/g on 16 day in control group stored in air. Enterobacteriacea counts were from 1.33 log CFU/g on 0 day to 5.11 on 16 day in control group stored in air. Pseudomonas spp. were found only in control group stored in air on 12 and 16 day. The results of the present study suggest the possibility of application of Thymus serpyllum and Ocimum basilicum essential oils as natural food preservatives and potential sources of antimicrobial ingredients for food industry.