Abstract: Background and Objective: Consumption of fresh quail meat has become more popular among consumers in recent years, but they are highly perishable. The present article aimed to enhance the quality and shelf-life of fresh quail carcasses through soaking in aqueous solution of cold distilled water (Control; C), Sodium citrate (SC; 2%), Oregano essential oil (OEO; 0.5%) or their combination blend (SC; 2%+OEO; 0.5%; 1:1 v/v) for 10 min, packaged and stored at 4±1°C for 10 days under aerobic conditions. Materials and Methods:Freshness tests (pH, total volatile bases nitrogen "TVB-N"as well as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances "TBARS"); Consumer acceptance (color, odor "for raw"-appearance, flavor, texture and overall acceptability "for cooked") and Microbiological evaluation (total viable counts "TVC", psychrotrophic counts "PTC"and enterobacteriaceae counts "EBC") were determined during cold storage. Statistical analysis was done by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant differences were defined as p<0.05; according to PC-STAT. Results: Significant (p<0.05) incremental pattern was observed in TVB-N, TBARS, pH, TVC, PTC and EBC values in all quail samples during subsequent cold storage by different rates, with the control samples always being the highest. Both natural compounds (SC/OEO) dipping significantly (p<0.05) reduced lipid oxidation and microbial growth occurring during refrigerated storage. OEO was more significant (p<0.05) positively affect than SC. In terms of sensory evaluation, the panelists preferred OEO applied quails in comparison to sodium citrate or control samples. Moreover, quail carcasses soaked in OEO+SC in combination exhibited the lowest TBARS values and microbial counts, the highest acceptance scores and the best shelf-life; possibly due to a synergistic effect. Conclusion: Overall, the study revealed that SC+OEO dipping treatment is hereby recommended, since it has been found to keep cold quail carcasses in wholesome state, extended shelf-life, ensure safe consumption for consumers and may offer a promising choice as safe natural preservatives.