Antimicrobial Coating Based on Tahiti Lemon Essential Oil and Green Banana Flour to Preserve the Internal Quality of Quail Eggs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Coatings are possible alternatives to refrigeration that could be used to preserve quail eggs. These preservation alternatives arise after concerns, mainly because high temperatures and microorganisms negatively influence the maintenance of the internal quality of quail eggs, making them unfeasible for faster consumption. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological and internal quality of quail eggs stored for 21 days at room temperature (29.53 ± 1.36 °C) after being coated with an antimicrobial coating based on green banana flour and Tahiti lemon essential oil (GBF/TAH). ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the microbiological and internal quality of quail eggs stored for 21 days at room temperature (29.53 ± 1.36 °C) after being coated with green banana flour and Tahiti lemon essential oil (GBF/TAH). One hundred and sixty-two quail eggs were equally distributed into three treatments: (1) uncoated eggs, (2) eggs coated with green banana flour (GBF), and (3) eggs coated with GBF/TAH. The Haugh unit (HU) of the eggs was significantly lower in the third week for uncoated eggs (70.94 ± 1.63, grade A) compared to eggs coated with GBF/TAH (81.47 ± 2.38, grade AA). On the 21st day of storage, the eggs coated with GBF/TAH had significantly lower total counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria in the shell and egg contents compared to the other treatments. GBF/TAH coating is an effective blending approach to reduce the microbial load of the shell and egg contents and preserve the sensory and internal quality of the eggs.