Abstract
Ready-to-cook (RTC) meat products provide convenience but are more susceptible to quality degradation during refrigerated storage. This study examined the effects of 1%, 2%, and 3% chitosan coating on the quality parameters and shelf life of pretreated seekh kabab samples compared with non-coated seekh kabab (NC-SK) samples stored at 4 °C for 28 days. The results show that the chitosan-coated seekh kabab (CC-SK) samples had higher lightness and stable redness values during storage compared with the NC-SK samples. The moisture loss was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the NC-SK samples on days 21 and 28. The chitosan coating effectively retarded lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, and total viable basic nitrogen formation and preserved the natural pH during storage from days 14 to 28 compared with the NC-SK samples (p < 0.05). After 21 days, the total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, LAB, and S. aureus counts were higher (p < 0.05) in the NC-SK samples than in the CC-SK samples. The sensory scores of the NC-SK samples fell below the acceptable limit compared with those of the CC-SK samples on day 28. A combined effect of refrigeration temperature and chitosan coating enables long storage time, prevents microbial growth, and minimizes lipid oxidation.