Development of active edible coatings based on fish gelatin enriched with Moringa oleifera extract: Application in fish (Mustelus mustelus) fillet preservation.

An edible coating was developed using gelatin extracted from the skin of gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) and applied to the fillet of the smooth-hound shark (Mustelus mustelus). Moringa oleifera leaf extract was added to gelatin coating solution to improve its preservative properties. The phenolic profiles and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of M. oleifera extracts were determined. Phenolic acids constituted the largest group representing more than 77% of the total compounds identified in the ethanol/water (MOE/W) extract, among which the quinic acid was found to be the major one (31.48 mg/g extract). The MOE/W extract presented the highest DPPH• scavenging activity (IC50 = 0.53 ± 0.02 mg/ml) and reducing (Fe3+) power (EC0.5 = 0.57 ± 0.02 mg/ml), as well as interesting inhibition zones (20-35 mm) for the most tested strains. Coating by 3% of gelatin solution significantly reduced most deterioration indices during chilled storage, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), weight loss, pH, and mesophilic, psychrophilic, lactic, and H2S-producing bacterial counts. Interestingly, coating with gelatin solution containing MOE/W extract at 20 µg/ml was more effective than gelatin applied alone. Compared with the uncoated sample, gelatin-MOE/W coating reduced the weight loss and MDA content by 26% and 70% after 6 days of storage, respectively. Texture analysis showed that the strength of uncoated fillet increased by 46%, while the strength of fillet coated with gelatin-MOE/W only increased by 12% after 6 days of storage. Fish fillet coated with gelatin-MOE/W had the highest sensory scores in terms of odor, color, and overall acceptability throughout the study period.

Bioactive potential and structural characterization of sulfated polysaccharides from Bullet tuna (Auxis Rochei) by-products.

The present study deals with the isolation of sulfated polysaccharides (Ps) from the Bullet tuna by-products (head, skin and bones). Results of chemical characterization revealed that Ps-bones showed the highest total sugar, uronic acid and sulfate group contents. Tuna extracted-Ps contained a mixture of neutral sugars, with high amounts of glucuronic and galacturonic acids and presented different molecular weights. The presence of sulfate groups in different Ps was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Interestingly, Ps-bones showed the highest antioxidant activity among all the extracted Ps. Moreover, results revealed that all polysaccharides displayed varying degrees of antibacterial activity. Ps-bones exhibited high and wide spectrum of activities, inhibiting the growth of all bacteria tested. Ps-bones incorporated during fillet cooking offered an excellent protection of fish fillet by avoiding pH change, color loss, lipid oxidation and spoilage. Overall, the results demonstrated that Ps could be potentially used as natural antioxidant and antibacterial agents.