GC–MS and GC-FID Reveal Caraway Oil’s Role in Extending Pork Sausage Shelf Life

Researchers tested caraway essential oil (CEO) and a chitosan-based nanoparticle version containing the oil (CNPs CEO) as natural ways to help preserve fresh pork sausages stored in the refrigerator at 4 °C for five days. The chemical composition of CEO was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). A paper based on this research was published in the journal Foods.¹

Why is Caraway Essential Oil Being Considered as a Natural Food Preservative?

In the food industry, artificial preservatives are commonly used to stop the growth of microbes and prevent fats from going rancid. However, because of cost issues and increasing concerns about the safety of foods with synthetic additives, there is growing interest in using natural ingredients that have similar protective effects.²

Essential oils are natural substances that could be useful for preserving food. They come from aromatic and medicinal plants and contain the compounds that give them their distinct smell and flavor. These oils include active ingredients that are known to help fight microbes like bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and they can also help protect against pests and reduce oxidation, which causes food to spoil.³

Because it contains fragrant and active compounds, caraway essential oil is widely used in both the food and pharmaceutical industries. It has been shown to help stop the growth of a range of bacteria, including Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Listeria innocua, as well as fungi such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger.^2,4Carvone and limonene are the main ingredients in its composition and are thought to be the key compounds responsible for stopping the growth of bacteria and fungi.^5-7

Do Caraway Essential Oil and its Nanoparticle Form Help Preserve Pork Sausages and Improve Their Shelf Life and Quality?

The main compounds found in the oil through the research were carvone (92.5%) and limonene (5.8%). The study tested eight different treatments, including a control, different amounts of caraway essential oil, chitosan nanoparticles alone, and nanoparticles loaded with the oil at three different concentrations. The oil was successfully trapped inside the nanoparticles with an efficiency of about 68%. Researchers tracked how the sausages changed during storage by looking at bacterial growth, yeast and mold levels, fat spoilage, pH, and taste and texture in both raw and cooked samples. The essential oil helped slow down spoilage and fat breakdown, and the effect became stronger as the dose increased.¹

The nanoparticle versions worked even better, especially at the highest dose, which showed the strongest ability to reduce bacteria and limit fat oxidation. These sausages also kept better overall quality in terms of color, smell, juiciness, and texture throughout storage. In contrast, the untreated sausages spoiled much faster, becoming unacceptable for taste after three days and showing noticeable fat spoilage by day five.¹

“These findings,” write the authors of the paper,¹ “demonstrate that the application of CNPs CEO in sausage production enhances their stability, shelf life, and sensory characteristics, indicating a promising no-additive strategy in the industrial production of fresh pork sausages.”

However, since the study only looked at a 5-day period, it may not fully capture how well this method works over longer storage times; the researchers believe that this should be explored in future work. In addition, they suggest that more research is needed to understand how the oil is released in different conditions, including during digestion and within the meat itself. They also recommend testing this approach alongside vacuum or modified-atmosphere packaging, as well as scaling up production to see whether it could realistically and economically be used in large-scale sausage manufacturing.¹

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References

1. Jevremović, N.; Odžaković, B.; Đorđević, N. et al. Caraway Essential Oil Nanoparticles in Prolonged Stability and Sensory Improvement of Fresh Pork Sausages. Foods 2026, 15 (9), 1591. DOI: 10.3390/foods15091591
2. Hassanien, M. F.; Assiri, A. M.; Alzohairy, A. M. et al. Health-Promoting Value and Food Applications of Black Cumin Essential Oil: An Overview. J Food Sci Technol. 2015, 52 (10), 6136-6142. DOI: 10.1007/s13197-015-1785-4
3. Konfo, T. R. C., Djouhou, F. M. C., Koudoro, Y. A. et al. Essential Oils as Natural Antioxidants for the Control of Food Preservation. Food Chem. Adv. 2023, 2, 100312. DOI: 10.1016/j.focha.2023.100312
4. Agnihotri, V.; Shashni, S.; Tripathi, M. Morphological, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Carum carvi (Caraway) and Bunium persicum (Black Caraway) Seeds: A Review. J. Food Eng. Technol. 2024, 13, 25–31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32732/jfet.2024.13.1.25
5. Gajić, I.; Stanojević, L.; Dinić, A. et al. The Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil and Volatile Compounds from Caraway Fruit (Carum carvi L.) Extracted by Headspace-Solid Phase Microextraction and the Antioxidant Activity. Adv. Technol. 2020, 9, 37–43. DOI:10.5937/savteh2001037G
6. Ibáñez, M.D.; Sanchez-Ballester, N.M.; Blázquez, M.A. Encapsulated Limonene: A Pleasant Lemon-Like Aroma with Promising Application in the Agri-Food Industry. A Review. Molecules 2020, 25, 2598. DOI: 10.3390/molecules25112598
7. Agougui, C.; Cecilia, J.A.; Saad, H. et al. Adsorption of Carvone and Limonene from Caraway Essential Oil onto Tunisian Montmorillonite Clay for Pharmaceutical Application. Sci. Rep. 2022, 12, 19814. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24268-5