Development and performance of whey protein active coatings with Origanum virens essential oils in the quality and shelf life improvement of processed meat products

- A whey protein-based active coating with O. virens essential oil was developed.
- The natural active coating was applied on fermented sausages.
- WPC-EO is an alternative/complementary method for controlling microbial spoilage.
- WPC-EO prevents lipid oxidation and color fading.

Active coating development for prevention and control of microbial contamination is an extremely challenging technology. In this field, the potential of plant-based compounds to be used as a complement or an alternative to the synthetic preservatives have drawn increasing attention from the food industry.In this study, an active coating containing Origanum virens essential oil (EO-WPC) was applied on the surface of two traditional Portuguese sausages (paínhos and alheiras) during industrial production. For 4 months, both products were regularly monitored for their physicochemical properties and total microbial load. Sensory evaluation was also carried out for each sausage type.The application of the EO-WPC caused little variations on the moisture content and texture profile. Higher acidity and protection against color fading was observed particularly in paínhos, while coated alheiras had a significant reduction of the lipid peroxidation. Inhibition of the total microbial load was observed for both coated sausages, resulting in an extension of the shelf life of approximately 20 and 15 days for paínhos and alheiras, respectively. Sensory analysis revealed an overall positive acceptance. These results support the great potential of O. virens EO to be used as food preservative in processed meat products.