Influence of adding cinnamon bark oil on meat quality of ground lamb during storage at 4 °C.

The study explored the preservative effects of adding different levels of cinnamon bark oil on meat quality of ground lamb. The longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) meat samples were treated with 0 (control), 0.01%, 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.5% of cinnamon bark oil and stored at 4 °C for 16 days. Microbial populations of TVC, lactic acid bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae were reduced up to 0.6 to 1.9 log CFU/g than control from day 4 to 16 during storage. The samples adding 0.025% and 0.05% cinnamon bark oil showed lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and pH values but higher L⁎, a⁎, R630/580 and Chroma values than all the other samples (P < 0.05). The relative content of oxymyoglobin was higher for 0.01%, 0.025%, and 0.05% cinnamon bark oil samples after 12 days of storage than other treatments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, cinnamon bark oil of 0.025% and 0.05% had a better preservative effect on the lamb meat quality during storage.