Utilization of Cactus Dear Peels Mucilage as an Edible Coating of Chicken Meat to Prolong its Shelf Life

Abstract

Edible coating or biodegradable packaging has been introduced in food processing to control food quality loss. This study was carried out to enhance the utilization of cactus peels to produce edible coating for chicken breast to prolong its shelf life. The effect of incorporating mango kernels as a natural and economic source of antioxidants and antimicrobial agent in the coating has been studied as well. Cactus peels coated- based samples produced the optimum decrease in pH, TBA, total viable bacterial count and enhanced the sensory attributes compared to untreated or mango kernels treated meat in dose dependent manner. Sample treated with 25% cactus peels and 0.8% mango kernel showed the lowest value of TBA of 0.421 mg malonaldehyde/Kg compared to 1.30 mg malonaldehyde/Kg in control after two weeks of storage. The same treatment was the most effective in reducing total viable bacterial count from 51×10³ cfu.g-1 in control to 2.00×10² cfu.g^-1. This study suggests that cactus peels and mango seeds, which considered as food processing waste showed a potential role in delaying chicken meat spoilage.

Keywords: Edible coating, cactus peels, Mango kernel, Shelf life.