Synergic Effect of Natural Herbal Spices on The Quality of Refrigerated Beef Kofta

Spices such as paprika and frankincense extracts have been shown to possess potent antimicrobial potential against wide range of foodborne microorganisms; which may lead to shorter shelf life and public health hazard. So, the current study aimed to investigate the synergic effect of paprika (PE) and frankincense extracts (FE) (1.0 and 2.0%) on the sensory and bacteriological quality of home-made beef kofta during refrigeration (4±1OC). Sensory evaluation revealed significant enhancement in the color, odor, texture, and overall acceptability characteristic of beef kofta among all treated and control samples; with extension of the organoleptic acceptability up to 12 days, whereas, control samples showed spoilage within 6 days of cold storage. Additionally, the used extracts showed significant anti-bacterial effect appeared as significant retardation in the APC, E. coli and S. aureus counts in the treated groups in relation to the control group; which appeared to be maximized with increasing the concentration of the added substance. Aerobic plate mean counts (CFU/g) were 7.0, 6.6, 6.5, 5.8 and 4.8 log CFU/g for paprika extract (1 and 2%), frankincense extract (1 and 2%) and PE-FE mixed treatment at the 12th day of cold storage, respectively. On the other hand, frankincense extract showed higher levels of S. aureus inhibition than paprika extract. After all, referring to the current obtained results revealed that the studied extracts may be used as new ingredients that could control kofta spoilage and/or foodborne pathogens, and prolong shelf life of kofta in concentration-dependent manner during refrigeration.