Effects of edible chitosan coating containing Salvia rosmarinus essential oil on quality characteristics and shelf life extension of rabbit meat during chilled storage

Rabbit meat is one of the most consumed meats throughout the world and is extremely susceptible to spoilage due to its high protein and moisture content. Natural preservatives with antioxidant and antibacterial properties are needed to maintain meat quality and increase its shelf life. This study examined the effect of 1% chitosan (CH), 0.2% rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) essential oil (REO), and their combination on pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels, and the microbial profile of rabbit meat stored over 12 days at 4 °C. During this time, changes in appearance, odor, and texture were also noted. The shelf lives of samples treated with only 1% CH coating, or in combination with 0.2% REO, were longer than those of untreated samples. These results showed that samples treated with both CH and REO were still acceptable until the 12th day and resulted in significantly lower meat demerit scores in these treated groups compared with untreated meat. In all groups, the pH, TVB-N, and TBA values increased over time, but these values were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in untreated samples. Microbial analysis results showed that chilled rabbit meat samples treated with combined 1% CH and 0.2% REO reduced Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, and Psychrotrophic counts. The experimental results demonstrated that using CH coating in combination with REO improved the quality of rabbit meat and could be an effective approach to reduce rabbit meat deterioration during chilled storage.