Natural ingredients having potential to improve shelf life and safety of meat and meat products: a review

This review critically synthesizes recent advances on natural preservatives used to enhance the safety, quality and shelf life of meat and meat products. With an increasing number of cases and deaths due to contaminated food, there is a pressing need for effective preservation methods. Concerns about the impact of synthetic preservatives on health have led to growing interest in natural preservatives. Plant-derived essential oils (rosemary, thyme, oregano and cinnamon) showed the strongest antimicrobial effects, typically achieving 1–4 log CFU/g reductions and delaying lipid oxidation by 7–15 days, while flavonoids (green tea, grape seed and propolis) reduced oxidative rancidity by 25–60%. Organic acids such as lactic and citric acid consistently produced 2–3 log reductions in pathogens. Among animal-based preservatives, lysozyme and lactoferrin ensured targeted inhibition of Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. Microbial-derived systems particularly nisin, pediocin and sakacin were the most potent clean-label antimicrobials, delivering 2–6 log reductions showing strong compatibility with ready to eat, fermented and vacuum-packed meats. A key originality of this review lies in its cross-category comparative analysis between plant, animal and microbial systems combined with mechanism-based classification, dose response synthesis and shelf-life outcomes, which are seldom integrated in prior reviews. Emerging delivery technologies including nanoemulsions, nanoliposomes, microencapsulation, nano-chitosan coatings and active packaging films were identified as critical enhancers that improve bioactive stability, reduce effective doses and minimize sensory changes.