Combined Effect of Vacuum Packaging, Fennel and Savory Essential Oil Treatment on the Quality of Chicken Thighs.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the microbiological quality of chicken thighs after treatment by fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and savory (Satureja hortensis) essential oil, stored under vacuum packaging (VP) at 4 ± 0.5 °C for a period of 16 days. The following treatments of chicken thighs were used: Air-packaging control samples (APCS), vacuum-packaging control samples (VPC), vacuum-packaging (VP) control samples with rapeseed oil (VPRO), VP (vacuum-packaging) with fennel essential oil at concentrations 0.2% v/w (VP + F), and VP with savory essential oil at concentration 0.2% v/w (VP + S). The quality assessment of APCS, VPC, VPRO, VP + F and VP + S products was established by microbiological analysis. The microbiological parameters as the total viable counts of bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and Pseudomonas spp. were detected. Bacterial species were identified with the MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper. The combination of essential oils and vacuum packaging had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the reduction of total viable counts (TVC) compared with control group without vacuum packaging and the untreated control group. Though 15 genera and 46 species were isolated with scores higher than 2.3 from the chicken samples.

Effect of addition of wild garlic (Allium ursinum) on the quality of kefirs from sheep's milk.

BACKGROUND: Sheep’s milk has a high content of total solids, which qualifies it as a very good raw material for the production of fermented milk drinks. Currently, there are commercially produced kefirs and yogurts from sheep’s milk in the countries of the Mediterranean region. The growing interest in the consumption of these products is justified not only by their taste merits, but also because of their health-promoting proper- ties. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the addition of 1% of lyophilized wild garlic powder on the properties of kefirs from sheep’s milk. METHODS: Sheep’s milk was pasteurized (85°C, 30 min), cooled down, enriched with 1% of freeze-dried wild garlic powder, inoculated with a Commercial VITAL kefir culture and fermented for 16 hours (26°C). The influence of wild garlic on acidity (pH, °SH), syneresis (%), texture (TPA test), colour (L*a*b*) and the sensory profile of kefirs was conducted. RESULTS: Wild garlic could be used as a taste and flavour modifier in the production of kefir from sheep’s milk. The addition of 1% of freeze-dried wild garlic slowed down the fermentation of kefir, changed colour and reduced syneresis. CONCLUSIONS: Wild garlic could be used as a valuable supplement and a modifier of taste and flavour in kefir from sheep’s milk.