## 7 Discussion
Chicken burgers coated with 0.5-1% CEO films showed a TBARS of 0.98 mg MDA/kg and TVB-N of 22.8 mg/100 g after 35 days, with 0.5% CEO achieving the best sensory acceptance [61]. In ground camel meat (eugenol 76.07%), CEO films improved phenolic content by up to 45.21 mg GAE/g and maintained TBARS at 1.03 mg MDA/kg, but sensory scores were low (5.4) [21]. Buffalo meat fillets showed no significant TBARS reduction with CEO treatment but maintained good colour and acceptable odour despite an initial strong clove aroma [25]. Grass carp fillets coated with CEO (eugenol 44.9%) exhibited a 65% inhibition of cathepsin B activity, preserving texture, although no sensory evaluation was reported [69]. The results demonstrate the antioxidant potential of encapsulated CEO in various meat matrices, utilising different methods and evaluating its effectiveness under specific storage conditions. The main compounds identified in the CEO were eugenol, carophyllene, and eugenyl acetate, although their specific concentrations varied depending on the study [53; 54; 67]. In beef, specifically a 57% lean beef and 10% swine fat hamburger mix, the direct addition of CEO, encapsulated in sodium alginate with glycerol monostearate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, showed promising antioxidant activity. The principal compounds of the EO in this application were eugenol (56.06%), carophyllene (39.63%), and \(\alpha\)-caryophyllene (4.31%). While the TPC of the EO was 9.07 mg GAE/g, which was lower than some reported values, the CEO exhibited a DPPH radical scavenging activity of 94.86% at 484.7 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro}\)g/mL. The encapsulated CEO also demonstrated scavenging activity against hydroxyl and nitric oxide radicals. Notably, the encapsulated particles showed higher antioxidant activity compared to free CEO, suggesting that encapsulation enhances the effectiveness of CEO [53]. The application of encapsulated CEO in pork, specifically in slices of Chinese bacon, revealed that increasing the concentration of CEO enhanced free radical scavenging activity. A 2% concentration of CEO notably inhibited lipid oxidation, keeping both MDA content and peroxide values within the national food safety limits of the People's Republic of China. The microencapsulation process also offered protection against thermal degradation, with samples stored at 40 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolCelsius}\) showing a thermal stability of 50.23% [67]. In chicken fillets, chitosan/zinc monoxide nanoparticles incorporating CEO within chitosan/pullulan nanocomposite films demonstrated that a higher concentration of CEO nanoparticles led to greater antioxidant activity. Specifically, the film with the highest amount of CEO nanoparticles improved antioxidant activity by 35%, 40%, and 45% compared to the control samples over the research period [38]. In beef chops, coatings containing encapsulated CEO in chitosan/myristic acid were effective in preserving the natural colour of the meat and exhibited significant antioxidant activity. The main compounds of the essential oil used in this study were eugenol (63.4%), carophyllene (16%), and eugenyl acetate (13.1%). The DPPH assay showed that encapsulated CEO at the highest concentration (13 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro}\)g/mL) increased antioxidant activity by 40% after 1 h, compared to 8.3% for free CEO. After 3 h, the encapsulated particles reached 100% antioxidant activity [54]. The use of CEO in meat and meat products offers important benefits, such as inhibiting lipid oxidation, prolonging shelf life and improving the sensory stability of the product. Furthermore, its application reduces the use of synthetic preservatives, responding to consumer preference for natural foods. CEO also provides additional biological properties and can be incorporated using various technological methods. Among the main disadvantages is the risk of negatively altering the sensory properties of meat due to the intense aroma and flavour of clove, especially at high concentrations.