Abstract
This study investigated the effect of a chitosan nanoemulsion enriched with perillaldehyde on the preservation quality and microbial community composition of fresh refrigerated beef. After 15 days of storage, the perillaldehyde incorporation in the chitosan nanoemulsions (PA-CS) group exhibited the lowest pH (6.61), cooking loss (34.88 %), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS, 0.86 mg MDA/kg), and total carbonyl content (1.47 nmol/mg protein). The total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) and total viable counts (TVC) of the PA-CS group on day 15 were 15.85 mg/100 g and 5.69 CFU/g, respectively, which just slightly exceeding the regulatory standards for fresh meat. The PA-CS group effectively maintained color stability, slowed the texture deterioration, and decreased the transformation of immobilized water to free water in refrigerated beef. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing indicated that PA-CS coating significantly affected the bacterial community composition. In conclusion, chitosan nanoemulsions incorporated with perillaldehyde are a promising method for beef preservation.