Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of tarragon and Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oils and their applications as active agents to improve the shelf life of freshly cut potato strips

Abstract This study investigated the possibility of using active coatings based on Zedo gum containing essential oils of Zataria multiflora Boiss (ZE) and tarragon (TE) to increase the shelf life and maintain the quality of freshly cut potato strips. The chemical compositions of ZE and TE were initially identified, and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were investigated. ZE consisted mainly of carvacrol (26.26%), p‐cymene (21.50%), thymol (18.05%), and linalool (11.31%), and those of TE comprised p‐allylanisole (81.92%), β‐Ocimene E (8.06%), and β‐Ocimene Z (5.35%). Afterwards, a Zedo gum active coating (1% v/w) containing 1% (v/v) essential oil was prepared, and the produced coating solutions were used to soak the potato strips for 5 min. The coated potatoes were kept fresh in a refrigerator for 9 days, and their quality characteristics were examined every 3 days. The results show that the weight loss, browning index, total microbial count, and mold and yeast counts in the strips increased during 9 days of cold storage, and hardness decreased (p