Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Citrus Essential Oil on the Quality of Vacuum-Packed Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Fillets During Refrigerated Storage

The preservative effect of refrigerated and vacuum-packed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fillets inoculated with four mixtures of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Carnobacterium piscicola) and incorporated with citrus essential oil (CEO) was evaluated on the basis of microbiological and biochemical analysis.

Initially, sea bass fillets showed high nutritional quality. During refrigerated storage, lipid contents did not show a significant decrease in any fish fillets; meanwhile, important proteolysis was observed in untreated control. In addition, results indicated that both CEO and LAB strains exhibited antimicrobial activity against spoilage, pathogenic, and fungi flora. Moreover, the total volatile bases (TVB-N) values were higher in control fillets, and the lowest TVB-N values were observed in Control CEO and C3 + CEO (30.47 ± 0.00 and 32.29 ± 1.12 mg TVB-N/100 g, respectively). Also, the levels of biogenic amines increased in all fillets without exceeding the upper limit of acceptability except for untreated control (sum of about 1396.63 ppm). Furthermore, this combined treatment ameliorated the muscle liquid-holding capacity, which improves technological properties.

Overall, this treatment may open new promising opportunities for the biopreservation of fish products by enhancing the period of storage of refrigerated and vacuum-packed sea bass fillets.     

Quality and Sensory Characteristics of Volutharpa ampullacea perryi (False Abalone) Meat during the Boiling Cooking

Volutharpa ampullacea perryi (false abalone) meats were water cooked at 75–100°C for 5–60 min, and the changes in weight loss, pH, color, in vitro digestibility, texture, microstructure, and sensory characteristics were investigated. The weight rapidly decreased in the initial cooking and decreased slightly with the extension of both heating temperature and time. Obvious differences in color were found compared between the raw and cooked meats with respect to ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb* values. Digestibility was significantly improved with the thermal treatments. Textual properties, such as hardness, springiness, chewiness, and resilience, improved with the increasing of thermal intensity, but reduced with overcooking, and the variations were further confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy analysis. The samples boiled at 90–95°C for 10–15 min and 100°C for 5–10 min acquired better acceptance in the sensory evaluation. The complex relationship among cooking conditions and physicochemical and histological characteristics of meat as well as the consumer perceptions was illuminated by the principal components regression analysis. These results could provide useful information for quality control in V. a. perryi meat cooking.