Antifungal effects of clove oil microcapsule on meat products

Clove oil exhibits antimicrobial activities against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. Microencapsulation technology can be used to improve its stability and water solubility. The actual application of clove oil microcapsule on the antifungal preservation of meat products, such as cooked fish, cooked chicken, cooked pork, and cooked beef, was investigated in this study. Results showed that clove oil microcapsule displayed good antiseptic effects on these meat products at an effective fungicidal concentration of above 0.070%. Even if the meat was boiled for 0.5 h, the efficiency of clove oil microcapsule increased to 0.080%. Clove oil microcapsules had a trong heat resistance and high inhibition effect on meat products, and their disease indices and variation rates of mold spores also decreased. As a novel alternative, clove oil microcapsule had practical applications as a preservative in meat products, especially in foods requiring heat processing.