Abstract
Consumers worldwide are concerned about adverse health effects of preservatives used in food that they eat. Therefore, improving the safety and storage time of food has become an urgent issue. This study was designed to investigate the antibacterial and antioxidant effects of black seed oil (BSO, 1%, 2%, and 3%) and black seed powder (BSP, 2%, 4%, and 6%) supplementation on ground mutton during cold storage (4 degrees C for 21 days). The best antibacterial effect was obtained with 3% BSO, whereas 4% BSP exerted the best antioxidant effect. BSO induced a significant reduction in colony count and psychrotrophic count in the first week of storage. Addition of 4% BSP resulted in a pronounced and significant antimicrobial effect against Enterobacteriaceae with a reduction of 1.7 log(10) cfu/g (40%). In addition, 3% BSO caused a reduction of 1.6 log(10) cfu/g (24%) in inoculated Escherichia coli O157:H7. BSP induced a significant decrease in lipid peroxidase activity (thiobarbituric acid number significantly decreased) and antioxidant activity (catalase activity significantly increased). Sensory characteristics of meat treated with black seeds improved. Therefore, black seeds can be used as a meat additive because of their antibacterial and antioxidant effects that improve safety, quality, and shelf life of meats.