Effects of Sodium Alginate and Chitosan Coating Combined with Three Different Essential Oils on Microbial and Chemical Attributes of Rainbow Trout Fillets

Meat products, such as fish meat, are known to be susceptible to undesirable chemical and microbial reactions that characterize spoilage. In this study, the effect of a sodium alginate and chitosan coating incorporated with Mentha piperita, Artemisia dracunculus, and Zataria multiflora essential oils on chemical and microbial attributes of rainbow trout meat was evaluated during storage at 4°C. Chemical and microbial assays were performed on rainbow trout fillets with alginate and chitosan coatings and 0.2% concentration of test essential oils. The results showed that the alginate coating with essential oils significantly decreased production of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) and reduced the growth of foodborne spoilage bacteria during storage at 4ºC. At day 12, the best results were obtained in chitosan coating + Z. multiflora, with 5.96 ± 0.12, 4.93 ± 0.12, and 3.83 ± 0.2 for total viable counts, psychrotrophic bacterial count, and lactic acid bacteria count, respectively. Moreover, the lowest amounts of chemical analysis were observed in chitosan coating + Z. multiflora at the final day (0.54 ± 0.03 and 20.31 ± 0.1 for TBA and TVBN, respectively). Our study revealed that essential oils can be used as effective natural components against undesirable chemical and microbial reactions in fish meat.