Quality and stability of different seafood products treated with high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) intended for raw consumption

Abstract

The consumption of raw fish has rapidly increased in recent years, but being a highly perishable product, it is characterised by a very short microbiological shelf life. High hydrostatic pressure (HPP) processing is a non-thermal technology has emerged recently as a promising alternative to thermal processing for food pasteurization capable of maintaining fresh-like characteristics and nutritional value. However, the induced changes in product quality should be assessed carefully. The present research aimed to investigate the effect of HPP on different seafood products, namely grey mullet, tiger prawn and rose shrimp, intended for raw consumption. Three pressure levels (400, 500 and 600 MPa) were applied for 10 min. During refrigerated storage, microbiological quality, chemical parameters, colour and texture and fat oxidation were analysed. Results showed that the application of lower pressure was able to inactivate E. coli, pseudomonas and/or positive coagulase staphylococci; however, they were able to recover during storage. In addition, the application of 600-MPa pressure extended the microbiological shelf life by up to 30 days. For all samples, general whitening occurred while the texture was affected in a different way for the three considered species. Fat oxidation was only minimally affected and remained quite low during storage.