Utilization of Mucilage from Quince Fruit Seeds as an Edible Coating to Improve the Quality of Fresh Turkey Breast During Cold Storage

PurposeSeeds of quince fruit are commonly considered industrial waste, and may thus be repurposed, effectively performed waste valorization. By transforming a by-product of one process into a valuable material for another, this approach might enhance sustainability and reduce waste. The object of this study was to utilize the mucilage extracted from quince seeds as a coating material, to formulate an oregano essential oil (OO)-loaded quince seed mucilage (QM) edible coating and to assess the impact of the QM coating enriched with OO on the protection of turkey breast fillets throughout the refrigerated storage period.MethodOO at 0, 1, 1.5, and 2% concentrations were incorporated into the edible coating obtained from QM solutions. Turkey breast fillet samples treated with OO-enriched edible coating were evaluated by some physicochemical and microbial analysis.ResultsThe values of pH, peroxide, TBARS, yellowness, color change, and total viable count increased significantly by the storage time. Furthermore, an important decrease was determined in terms of the hardness, lightness, and redness values. Moreover, elevating the OO concentration in the coating formulation, specifically coated samples containing 1.5 and 2% OO, better retained the physicochemical attributes and microbial stability of the turkey breast fillets, in comparison with the control.ConclusionQM edible coating incorporated with OO successfully preserved the quality of turkey breast fillets by slowing microbial growth, delaying pH and color alterations, maintaining texture, and reducing lipid oxidation throughout the 10-days of refrigerated storage period (4 degrees C).