Prevention of microbial spoilage and extension of shelf life are usually the main goals of food
additives. Therefore, this evaluation focused on the physical and antimicrobial effects of clove
and lavender oils and frankincense extract (1.0%) on the shelf-life of raw, fresh chicken
drumsticks after soaking for 24 hours in the refrigerator (4 ± 1 °C). Assessment of the used
additives was conducted through sensory evaluation and microbiological quality through nine
days of refrigeration. The treated chicken drumstick samples were much more acceptable
overall than the control samples, which started to go bad after 6 days of storage. The treated
groups with lavender and frankincense, on the other hand, were still acceptable after 9 days of
storage. However, all of the additives that were tested were able to kill microbes. The
frankincense aqueous extract was the most effective at stopping the growth of microbes,
especially Staphylococcus aureus (Staph. aureus) and total fungal (mould and yeast) counts.
Lavender and clove oils came in second and third, respectively. So, it can be concluded that
the used herbal byproducts, either oils or aqueous extracts, gave a promising preservative effect
on the treated samples with a significant enhancement of the sensory quality. Frankincense
extract showed higher acceptability rates in comparison with the other examined additives;
therefore, more research on its phytochemical structure, active principles, and side effects can
be conducted.