Bacterial load reduction of minced meat by addition of sesame oil and sesamol

The antibacterial effect of sesamol at concentrations of 0.01%, 0.02% and 0.05% and sesame oil at concentration of 1%, 3% and 5% (w/w) was studied against aerobic plate count and Enterobacteriaceae count through the bacterial examination of total 3 samples of fresh minced beef meat randomly collected from
different butcher shops of different sanitation levels distributed in Al Dakahlia province, Egypt during the period from June–August, 2017. We found that the aerobic plate count and Enterobacteriaceae count decreased markedly in examined meat samples treated with sesamol and sesame oil in comparison to that of control (untreated) samples and the use of sesamol is more effective than sesame oil in reduction of bacterial counts. The antimicrobial potency followed the following order: sesamol 0.05% > sesamol 0.02% > sesamol
0.01% > sesame oil 5% > sesame oil 3% > sesame oil 1% during cold storage at 4 °C. In addition to the antibacterial activity, the sesamol and sesame oil enhanced the sensory properties of treated minced meat, hence we suggest the addition of products as natural additives to fresh minced meat during cold storage to improve meat quality and extend its shelf-life.