Combined antioxidant and sensory effects of corn starch films with nanoemulsion of Zataria multiflora essential oil fortified with cinnamaldehyde on fresh ground beef patties

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of corn starch films containing Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZEO) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) in conventional, nanoemulsion (NZEO) and fortified nanoemulsion (NZEOC) forms, on pH value, oxidative stability and sensory properties of ground beef patties during 20 days of storage at 4 ± 1 °C. Results of mechanical evaluation indicated that all treated films exhibited lower tensile strength (P ≤ .05) and higher elongation at break (P ≥ .05) than control samples. Also, film containing NZEO showed the best results at the end of storage with the following scores: Peroxide value (3.70 meq/kg of lipid), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (1.03 mg MDA/kg sample), carbonyl content (0.83 nmol/mg protein) and sensory analysis (overall acceptibility: 5.85). Furthermore, NZEOC had no positive effect on the antioxidant activity compared with NZEO+CIN. The results of the study can be applied to food packaging industry for particularly meat and meat products.