Benefits of Essential Oil-Enriched Chitosan on Beef: From Appearance and Odour Improvement to Protection Against Blowfly Oviposition

The food industry is increasingly turning to healthy and eco-friendly alternatives for meat preservation, with recent attention focused on chitosan (CH) and essential oils (EOs). Here, we propose two liquid formulations of CH enriched with <i>Laurus nobilis</i> or <i>Piper nigrum</i> EOs to preserve beef patties stored for 4 days at 4 °C from colour changes, secondary lipid oxidation, and alteration in volatile organic compound emissions while also preventing oviposition by <i>Calliphora vomitoria</i> on beef loaves hung for the same time at around 13 °C in a netted polytunnel. Overall, the <i>L. nobilis</i> EO-enriched CH solution increased the meat colour lightness compared to the control (+7.58%), kept redness and yellowness comparable to the control, maintained the level of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances below the threshold for rancidity perception for at least 96 h, reduced the release of ethanol, enhanced the perception of fatty and woody notes in the meat along with the fresh, green, and citrusy aromas specific to the EO, and also provided significant protection (88.83%) against blowfly oviposition compared to the control. Therefore, the development of a spray CH formulation containing the <i>L. nobilis</i> EO appears to be a promising tool for stable and prolonged meat protection.