"O-O" type coating of the grape seed-cinnamaldehyde essential oil with aroma retention for lamb preservation

Meat products are prone to drip loss, lipid oxidation, and microbial contamination during storage, leading to quality deterioration and flavor loss, thereby limiting shelf life. To address these issues, a triple-functional "O-O" oil-based coating with antibacterial-antioxidant activity, moisture retention, and flavor preservation was developed by combining β-cyclodextrin/cinnamaldehyde essential oil (β-CD@CEO) with β-carotene/grape seed oil (β-Car/GSO). The coating exhibited sustained release of CEO through β-CD encapsulation, maintaining stable antibacterial activity of approximately 80%-85% against B. thermosphacta and P. fragi within 24 h. β-Car and GSO formed a stable oil phase and exhibited synergistic antioxidant effects, significantly enhancing radical scavenging capacity, with DPPH^• and ABTS^•+ values of 86.17 ± 1.08% and 85.28 ± 1.20%, while inhibiting lipid oxidation and TVB-N accumulation, thereby extending the shelf life of lamb by 4 days under refrigerated storage at 4 °C. In addition, the coating reduced moisture loss by suppressing water migration, decreasing weight loss by about 19.92% after 9 days of refrigerated storage. GC-O-MS analysis demonstrated that the coating suppressed the formation of spoilage-related volatile compounds while maintaining the relative stability of key aroma compounds. This study provides a novel strategy for the design of novel multifunctional "O-O" type oil-based coatings and highlights their potential application in the preservation of active oil-based meat products.