Comparison study of chitosan, EDTA, eugenol and peppermint oil for antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials in chicken noodles and their effect on colour and oxidative stability at ambient temperature storage

•Chitosan treated samples showed highest pH.•Eugenol treated sample exhibited powerful antioxidant activity.•Eugenol and EDTA exhibited lower Standard plate count on microbiological analysis.•Eugenol treated sample exhibited highest scores for all sensory attributes.•Eugenol treated chicken noodles were concluded as best treated sample among all samples.

The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of chitosan, EDTA, eugenol and peppermint essential oil and their effect on color and oxidative stability of chicken noodles stored at 35 ± 2 °C. Results indicated that among the four preservatives, eugenol treatment exhibited higher ABTS+ (2-2-azinobis-3ethylbenthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical cation activity (89.54%), DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil) (51.30%) and superoxide anion scavenging activity (66.82%). Total polyphenol content was also higher in eugenol treated samples. The samples treated with eugenol and chitosan protect against an increase lightness (L-value) and decrease in redness (a) and yellowness (b) values during storage. However, pH value was highest in noodles with chitosan treatment while TBARS (2-thiobarbituric acid reacting substances) and FFA (Free fatty acids) contents were lowest in noodles with eugenol irrespective of storage periods. Eugenol treatment also showed positive impact on microbiological quality and sensory attributes. In conclusion, eugenol has more potential as a natural preservative to increase shelf-life of chicken noodles.