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Due to the increasing consumption of ready-made foods such as burgers and their popularity among the general population, the aim of the present study is to produce mixed burgers with different percentages of surimi and chicken minced and also, increasing the maintenance time of burgers by adding cumin and thyme essential oils (500 ppm) to burgers. First, surimi gel was produced and burgers formulated with the surimi and chicken minced based on applying the Response Surface Methodology. By analyzing the results of sensory evaluation using RSM that the best formula for burgers was chicken 37% + surimi 63%, then the pH, total volatile basic nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid and peroxide values and some microbiological characteristics were studied on selected burger for the duration of storage 27 days at 2 ⁰C. The results showed that essential oils had a significant effect on the chemical and microbiological parameters in comparison with the control group (without essential oil) throughout the entire period. The use of thyme/cumin essential oils showed the good effect to extend the shelf life of fresh new formulated burgers. So that, in the presence of essential oils, the burgers can be stored for up to 9 days in terms of microbiological and chemical factors, although some of the chemical factors (TBA in all groups and TVN in the presence of essential oils) did not exclude the end of the maintenance period. The results show that optimum burger production with Surimi and chicken minced meat in the presence of essential oils is an appropriate option for the industries that sell their products as fresh meat products.
 

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Various methods have been developed to detect the presence of contamination with Coliforms and E. coli in foods. The pour plate technique using VRBA medium is confirmed as a standard method in Iran. The biggest disadvantage of this method is the need to spend a lot of time, high volume of laboratory operations, multiple stages and ultimately long time to achieve the results. Today, due to the mass production of various foodstuffs, the need for faster methods with high sensitivity to control the quality of food is necessary for the responsible oversight centers. The use of chromogenic medias is also one of the fastest diagnostic methods that have been developed. According to this matter, a comparative study was considered from the results of application of three chromogenic media and reference method in food quality control. Totally 100 samples of foodstuffs were evaluated for contamination to Coliform and E.coli using standard method and three chromogenic medias. Based on the obtained results, 86, 79, 85 and 80 samples were contaminated to Coliform using the standard method, Coliform Agar ES, ChromAgar ECC and Rapid E.coli 2/Agar respectively. Also, using four mentioned methods, contamination to E.coli was reported at 66, 80, 84 and 80, respectively. Cochrane test showed that there was no significant difference between the four methods in Coliform diagnosis (p>0.05). However, four methods did not have the same function in the detection of E. coli so that the chromogenic methods showed significant difference with the standard method (p< 0/001). But there was no significant difference between these chromogenic methods in detecting E.coli (p>0.05). According to the statistical analysis of present study, three chromogenic medias can be used instead of the standard method for the detection of Coliform, but the use of these chromogenic medias is not recommended for the identification of E.coli. 

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Meat is prone to contamination and spoilage due to its composition and production. Therefore, in order to extend its shelf life, the use of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds has always been the focus of researchers' attention.The present study was conducted to evaluate effects of edible chitosan (2%) coating containing Cuminum cyminum essential oil (1%) on the shelf-life of meat in modified atmosphere packaging at refrigerated storage. The meat samples were separated into three groups uncoated (control), treated with chitosan coated without Cuminum cyminum essential oil and immersed in chitosan coated with Cuminum cyminum essential oil.
 Then Samples were packed in MAP (80% O2 and 20% CO2) conditions and stored at 4°C up to 21 days and evaluated periodically (on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21) for microbiological (Total microbial counts, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp.) and chemical (pH, TBA and TVN) characteristics. Microbial analysis indicated that coating had significant influence (p<0.001) on reduction of increasing trends of Total microbial counts, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp.bacteria. From the aspects of chemical factors, the containing chitosan coating groups showed lower pH, TBA and TVN than those without coating. According to the results, chitosan coating significantly improved (P<0.05) quality of samples. This study also indicated that the effect of chitosan containing Cuminum cyminum essential oil on samples was to retain their good quality characteristics and extend the shelf life during refrigerated storage, which was supported by the results of microbiological, chemical, and sensorial properties.

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The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of gelatin edible coating (4%) containing mint (Mentha spicata) essential oil (2%) on quality of chicken fillet during refrigerated storage (4^o C). Samples were separated into three groups: uncoated (control), coated with gelatin and coated with gelatin contained mint essential oil (gelatin-mint). Samples were stored at refrigerator temperature for 21 days and microbial count (total aerobic mesophilic and psychrophilic bacterial counts), chemical properties (pH, total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA)) and sensory characteristics (appearance, muscles elasticity, odor and color) were evaluated in 3 days interval. The results of bacterial analysis showed that coating with gelatin and gelatin-mint had significant effects on delaying the increase trend of psychrophilic and mesophilic bacterial counts as compared to control. Chemically, gelatin-mint treatment showed lower TBA, TVN and pH values ​​than the other two groups during storage (P <0.001). Also, the gelatin and gelatin-mint treatments maintained sensorial factors at acceptable levels for 6 days. Based on the results of the present study, gelatin coating did not have the ability to extend the shelf life of chicken fillets, on the basis of our results, the gelatin- mint coating may be a promising technology for the control of undesirable microbial, chemical, and sensorial changes during chicken fillet storage.  
 

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Due to the high amount of pH, moisture and protein content, chicken meat is a sensitive product which could be a good host for pathogen and spoilage microorganisms. In the recent years there has been a remarkable attention to use natural preservative instead of chemical preservative among producers of food products. Different studies has shown rosemary essential oil contain antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The present study was conducted to evaluate effect of rosemary essential oil (free and nanoemulsion) on chemical, microbial and sensorial quality of chicken fillet during refrigerated storage. Samples were examined in days of 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12. The results showed noticeable effects of both forms of rosemary essential oils in microbial, chemical and sensorial quality improvement. Moreover the results indicated that nanoemultion form of rosemary had significant effects on delaying the increase trend of psychrophilic, ,enterobacteriacea and mesophilic bacterial counts as compared to free form of rosemary (P<0.05). Furthermore The results of TVN, TBA and pH measurements indicated that nanoemulsion form of rosemary improved chemical quality of the samples in comparison with free form of rosemary during storage time (P<0.001).  Also in terms of sensorial characteristics, application of nanoemulsion essential oil lead to improvement of odor and overall acceptance factors compared to control group after twelve days of storage.

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Although fish oil is a very important source of omega-3 and its consumption is recommended in terms of nutrition, it cannot be used directly in the food system due to its instability. Therefore, its stability can be increased by converting the particle to the nanoscale. The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and chemical stability of omega-3 nanoemulsion at different temperatures and its antibacterial properties. For this purpose, fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids was produced by high energy method in nanoparticles and its physical (particle size, zeta potential, viscosity, and physical stability) and chemical properties (pH and turbidity) were evaluated during storage at 4, 25 and 40 ^o C during 7 days, as well as antibacterial properties of fish oil nanoemulsion against two gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The results showed that the omega-3 nanoemulsion produced had the optimum stability at 25 o C. the optimal concentration of 4% of omega-3 nanoemulsions also showed antibacterial properties against the studied bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus.
 

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Nowadays, due to the harmful effects of chemical preservatives in food products and antibiotic resistance too, the efforts of researchers to use natural and safe antimicrobial compounds, including plant essential oils, have increased. In the present study, after collecting the Badrashboo plant from the fields around Urmia city and drying it, extracting the essential oil from the plant was carried out using a Clevenger device, and the antimicrobial effects of this essential oil against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative food-borne pathogenic bacteria were determined by methods: Disk Diffusion Agar (DDA), Well Diffusion Agar (WDA), Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and interaction with four common broad-spectrum antibiotics including Vancomycin, Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol and Gentamicin were performed. The results of the DDA and WDA tests showed that the essential oil of Badreshbo had significant antimicrobial effects on all the tested bacteria in this study. The gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive than the gram-negative bacteria in front of this essential oil. The results of the MIC test of the essential oil for Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella dysentery, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monostogenes were 2.5, 1.25, 1.25, 0.625, 0.312, 1.25 and 1.25 mg/ml. The MBC of the mentioned strains were 5, 5, 2.5, 5, 2.5, 2.5, and 2.5 mg/mL, respectively. Also, the results of the study of the interaction effect of Badreshbo essential oil with the mentioned antibiotics indicate synergistic effects of the essential oil with all four antibiotics tested. Therefore, considering the significant antimicrobial effects observed for Badrashbo essential oil in this study, it can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
 

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Although chemical antifungal preservatives are often used in various food products, the use of these substances has been limited due to their harmful effects on human health and the environment. Researchers have recently sought to replace these chemical compounds with natural and less dangerous substances. In this regard, using essential oils of medicinal plants can be considered a suitable alternative due to fewer side effects. Therefore, in the present research, after preparing the Badrashboo plant from the fields of Golmarz village located near Urmia city and drying it, extracting the essential oil from the Badrashboo was carried out using a Clevengerger, and the antifungal effect of Badrashboo essential oil on some important fungal strains with disc diffusion agar and well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum fungicidal concentration and the interaction of Badrashboo essential oil with Nystatin were performed. The results of disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar tests showed that Badrashbo essential oil had a significant antifungal effect on all studied fungal strains. The results of the minimum inhibitory concentration of essential oil for strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, and Penicillium expansum were 8, 16, 2, 8, and 4 mg/ml, respectively. The minimum fungicidal concentration for the mentioned strains was 32, 64, 8, 16, and 32 mg/ml respectively. Also, the results of the interaction of Badrashboo essential oil with Nystatin indicated the synergistic effect of Badrashboo essential oil with Nystatin. Considering the significant antifungal effect observed for Badrashbo essential oil in the present study, it can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.