Application of oil-in-water nanoemulsions based on grape and cinnamon essential oils for shelf-life extension of chilled flathead mullet fillets.

BACKGROUND: The effect of nanoemulsions prepared with grape seed and cinnamon essential oils on the shelf-life of flathead mullet (Mugil cephalus) fillets was evaluated by determining physicochemical (pH, free fatty acids, peroxide value, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs)), sensory and microbiological (mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total psychrophilic bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae counts) properties during 14 day storage at 2 °C. RESULTS: The nanoemulsions showed good stability and low average droplet size. The results indicated that nanoemulsion treatments significantly prolonged the shelf-life of the fillets. Treatment inhibited increases in pH and TVB-N, and retarded lipid oxidation and hydrolysis. Sensory assessment revealed that treatment induced shelf-life extension from 10 to 14 days, compared with controls. Microbiological analyses showed nanoemulsion treatment caused shelf-life extension from 10 to 12 days with reduction of microbiological contamination by up to 1 log cfu g-1 in mesophilic and 1.5 log cfu g-1 in psychrotrophic bacteria. CONCLUSION: Considering the results, grape seed and cinnamon essential oil nanoemulsions could be considered as novel antimicrobial and antioxidant materials for shelf-life extension of flathead mullet fillets during cold storage. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of the icing with thyme, oregano and clove extracts on quality parameters of gutted and beheaded anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) during chilled storage.

The effect of ice containing thyme (0.04% w/v), oregano (0.03% w/v) and clove (0.02% w/v) extracts on the quality parameters of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) was assessed through the chemical, sensory and microbiological methods. According to sensory analyses, anchovy stored in ice prepared with each plant extracts had a shelf life of 12 days, while batch stored in traditional ice had a shelf life of 9 days. pH were not significantly affected by the presence of plant extracts in the ice. However, a marked antioxidant effect (P<0.05) could be detected with fish kept under plant extract icing systems, according to peroxide (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values. Moreover, the employment of such icing systems led to lower (P<0.05) total volatile base-nitrogen (TVB-N) value and free fatty acid (FFA) formation. Thus, TVB-N proved to be a suitable index for the spoilage of anchovies during chilled storage. The employment of such icing systems also led to significantly lower counts of aerobic mesophiles and psychrotrophic bacteria in anchovy muscle with skin, as compared with the traditional ice batch. This work demonstrates that the use of ice with plant extracts for the storage of gutted and beheaded anchovy can be recommended to improve the quality and extend the shelf life.