Extending the Shelf Life of Fresh Camel Sausage by the Integration of Cuminum cyminum L. Essential Oil

Fresh sausage has a short shelf life and is easily spoiled in refrigerated conditions. The present study aimed to assess the effects of Cuminum cyminum L. essential oil (CCEO; 0%, 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2% v/v) on the shelf life extension of fresh camel sausage within storage at the temperature of 4oC for 15 days. According to the microbiological findings, the integration of CCEO significantly retarded microbial growth in the sausage compared to the control group (P<0.05). Mesophilic bacteria count (MBC) reached the upper microbiological permissible limit (7 log CFU/g) on day five in the control samples, on day seven in the samples containing 0.05% and 0.1% CCEO, and on day 15 in the samples containing 0.2% CCEO. According to the chemical findings, the total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) value in the control samples increased to 39.75 mg/100 g on the last day of storage. At the end of the research, a significant reduction (approximately 6.29-11.85 mg/100 g) was observed in the final TVB-N of the samples integrated with CCEO compared to the controls (P<0.05). The peroxide value (PV) of the control samples was 4.49 meq/1,000 g of lipids, while the PV values of the treated samples remained lower (3.25 meq/1,000 g of lipids) at the final stage of the study. In terms of sensory attributes, the addition of 0.05% and 0.1% CCEO caused slight adverse effects on the sensory characteristics of the samples (P>0.05). According to the results, the integration of CCEO with fresh camel sausages is a practical method to increase the shelf life of this product.