Pullulan or chitosan based active coating by incorporating polyphenols from lemon peel in raw poultry meat

Dip coating with pullulan and chitosan in combination with lemon peel polyphenols (LPP) was attempted for shelf life extension of raw poultry meat. Control samples demonstrated bacterial lag phase and shelf life of 1.3 and 1 day, respectively at 4 °C. Meat samples coated with pullulan or chitosan in combination with 1% LPP led to an increased bacterial lag phase; thereby extending the shelf life of meat by 6 and 14 days, respectively. Significant (p < 0.05) reduction in lipid peroxidation in comparison with control was also observed due to dip treatment. Treated samples maintained values of < 1 mg kg^-1 malondialdehyde for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances during the entire storage period. No significant (p > 0.05) change in colour, weight loss and pH of treated samples during storage was noted. Dip coated samples maintained acceptable sensory quality during the entire storage period. This study indicates that use of LPP for shelf life extension of raw meat could be a practical proposition.