Quality Enhancement of Refrigerated Hake Muscle by Active Packaging with a Protein Concentrate from Spirulina platensis

STEJSKAL, NADIA; MIRANDA, JOSÉ M.; MARTUCCI, JOSEFA F.; RUSECKAITE, ROXANA A.; BARROS-VELÁZQUEZ, JORGE; AUBOURG, SANTIAGO P.

FOOD AND BIOPROCESS TECHNOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2020

1935-5130

This study focused on the development of novel active packaging methods based on natural compounds. Its main objective wasthe quality enhancement of refrigerated packaged fish. For it, the effect of the inclusion of a protein concentrate (PC) extractedfrom microalga Spirulina platensis into a crosslinked gelatine-based biofilm was investigated during the preservation of hake(Merluccius merluccius) muscle. Thus, microbiological and chemical analyses related to quality loss were monitored throughouta 7-day storage at 4 °C. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) lower counts (log CFU g−1 muscle) were obtained for aerobemesophiles, psychrotrophs, proteolytics, lipolytics, and Enterobacteriaceae in refrigerated fish muscle as a result of themicroalga PC presence in the packaging medium when compared with fish corresponding to the control batch. With respectto the lipid fraction, an inhibitory effect on lipid hydrolysis development (free fatty acids formation) (p < 0.05) was concludedand, furthermore, a higher (p < 0.05) polyunsaturated fatty acid retention (polyene index value) was achieved in the PC-treatedfish at the end of the storage time. Fish quality enhancement derived from the use of the spirulina PC in the packaging mediumwas concluded, this result being linked to the presence of preservative water-soluble molecules in the PC extract. Further researchrelated to the optimisation of processing conditions ought to be addressed.