Study of changes in physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of shrimps (Melicertus kerathurus) stored under modified atmosphere packaging

Seafood spoilage microbiota and associated volatile organic compounds at different storage temperatures and packaging conditions

Seafood comprising of both vertebrate and invertebrate aquatic organisms are nutritious, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential vitamins, proteins, minerals and form part of healthy diet. However, despite the health and nutritional benefits, seafood is highly perishable. Spoilage of seafood could be as a result of microbial activity, autolysis or chemical oxidation. Microbial activity constitutes more spoilage than others. Spoilage bacteria are commonly Gram negative and produce off odours and flavours in seafood as a result of their metabolic activities. Storage temperature, handling and packaging conditions affect microbial growth and thus the shelf-life of seafood. Due to the complexity of the microbial communities in seafood, culture dependent methods of detection may not be useful, hence the need for culture independent methods are necessary to understand the diversity of microbiota and spoilage process. Similarly, the volatile organic compounds released by spoilage bacteria are not fully understood in some seafood. This review therefore highlights current knowledge and understanding of seafood spoilage microbiota, volatile organic compounds, effects of storage temperature and packaging conditions on quality of seafood.

Quality changes of cuttlefish stored under various atmosphere modifications and vacuum packaging

BACKGROUND

Seafood preservation and its shelf life prolongation are two of the main issues in the seafood industry. As a result, and in view of market globalization, research has been triggered in this direction by applying several techniques such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), vacuum packaging (VP) and active packaging (AP). However, seafood such as octopus, cuttlefish and others have not been thoroughly investigated up to now. The aim of this research was to determine the optimal conditions of modified atmosphere under which cuttlefish storage time and consequently shelf life time could be prolonged without endangering consumer safety.

RESULTS

It was found that cuttlefish shelf life reached 2, 2, 4, 8 and 8 days for control, VP, MAP 1, MAP 2 and MAP 3 (20% CO2 -80% N2 , 50% CO2 -50% N2 and 70% CO2 -30% N2 for MAP 1, 2 and 3, respectively) samples, respectively, judging by their sensorial attributes. Elevated CO2 levels had a strong microbiostatic effect, whereas storage under vacuum did not offer significant advantages. All physicochemical attributes of MAP-treated samples were better preserved compared to control.

CONCLUSION

Application of high CO2 atmospheres such as MAP 2 and MAP 3 proved to be an effective strategy toward preserving the characteristics and prolonging the shelf life of fresh cuttlefish and thereby improving its potential in the market. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Modified Atmosphere with Varying O2 Concentrations on the Quality of Packed Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) during Cold Storage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with varying O2concentrations on the quality changes of Pacific white shrimp during cold storage at (4±1)°C by using the quality indices such as Total viable counts (TVC), TVB-N, pH, firmness, whiteness and sensory evaluation. Results showed that MAP inhibited the microbial growth and the spoilage which was confirmed by the lowered TVC and TVB-N. Among the four MAP groups, shrimp packaged in bags 40%CO2\55%O2\5%N2showed the lowest level of TVC and TVB-N, and shrimp in 40%CO2\5%O2\55%N2had the best appearance with lighter blackspots during storage. Low O2concentration packaging exhibited the ability to retard melanosis, but weakening the ability to impede the spoilage. Extremely high O2concentration with low CO2concentration packaging inhibit the microbial growth compared to the CK, but improved the melonasis of shrimp and reduced its sensory quality rapidly.