Effect of Vacuum Packaging and Sous Vide Processing on the Quality of Indian White Shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus) During Chilled Storage

ABSTRACT

A comparative study was undertaken to assess the effect of sous vide (SV) processing, vacuum, and ordinary air packaging on the quality and shelf life of condiment-incorporated Indian white shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus) during chilled storage. The pasteurization value (PV) for SV-processed shrimp was 4.02 min at 90ºC. The initial K value of shrimp (2.17%) increased to 5.26% with SV processing and further increased to a value of 46.9% on the day of sensory rejection, compared with 64.3% and 62.7% for vacuum and air-packed samples, respectively. A nearly 3 log reduction in total mesophilic count was observed for SV-processed shrimp. Formation of volatile bases, indole, and lipid oxidation was significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited in SV-processed shrimp compared to others. SV processing extended the shelf life of condiment-incorporated shrimp up to 28 days, compared to only 15 and 8 days for vacuum and air-packed samples, respectively.

KEYWORDS:

• Shrimp
• sous vide
• vacuum packaging
• pasteurization value
• K value
• indole
• chilled storage

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Director, CIFT, Cochin, for providing the facilities to undertake this work. The technical help rendered by the staff of the Fish Processing Division is highly acknowledged.