Incorporating nisin and grape seed extract in chitosan-gelatine edible coating and its effect on cold storage of fresh pork

Fresh pork is a highly perishable food product and susceptible to oxidation and microbial spoilage. The objective of this study was to develop a chitosan-gelatine edible coating system incorporating grape seed extract and/or nisin and investigate its effect on the preservation of fresh pork during cold storage at 4 °C for 20 days. Results showed that 1% chitosan (CHI) effectively inhibited pork oxidation and microbial spoilage; 1% chitosan combined with 3% gelatine (CHI-GEL) enhanced these preservative effects; and incorporating 0.5% grape seed extract (CHI-GEL-GSE) further enhanced antioxidant activity against meat oxidation. However, incorporating nisin (NIS) into the coating (CHI-GEL-NIS and CHI-GEL–NIS–GSE) did not further improve the antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. The CHI-GEL-GSE formulation had the best performance on pork preservation, which suggested that it could be developed as a hurdle technology to preserve fresh meat. •Grape seed extract (GSE)/nisin were loaded in chitosan-gelatine edible coatings.•The edible coatings were applied to fresh pork during cold storage.•The GSE edible coating enhanced antioxidant activity against meat oxidation.•Incorporating nisin did not improve the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.•CHI-GEL-GSE coating formulation showed the best performance on meat preservation.