Essential oils as potential antimicrobial agents in meat and meat products: A review

•Production of safe and high quality meat products for consumer demands is challenging.•Plant essential oils (EOs) are effective natural antimicrobial agents.•Basics, applications, and future of EOs for meat and meat products are reviewed.

Production of safe and high quality meat and meat products along with recent consumer's demand for all-natural and clean-label is challenging. Plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have shown remarkable antimicrobial potency against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products. In this review, basics of microbial deterioration of meat and meat products and traditional preservation methods used are first discussed followed by mode of action and scope of application of EOs for these products. Application of EOs is partially limited due to their intense aroma but advanced technologies can be combined to improve both the microbial stability and sensory quality.