![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
An ozonated water treatment system was designed for the sanitation of shucked oysters (Crassostrea plicatula). The effects of ozone (O3) on shelf life were examined under refrigerated conditions (4 ± 1°C). Microbiological, chemical, and color quality were also evaluated by determining total aerobic plate counts (APC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), and L, a, and b values. Single and orthogonal experiment results showed that oysters treated with 9 mg/L of O3 in aqueous solution (oyster: ozonated water = 1:6, w/v) for 10 min at 5°C significantly reduced the total APC by about 2-log—from 4.97 ± 0.11 to 2.93 ± 0.17 log CFU/g (p < 0.05). O3 treatment did not cause significant changes in TVB-N, TBA, a, and b values, although L values were significantly affected. During refrigerated storage, O3-treated samples expressed lower TVB-N, TBA, a, and b values and higher L values than control samples. The shelf life of O3-treated samples was 20 to 25 days, while that for the controls was 5 to 10 days. The current study confirms that treatment with ozonated water can effectively prolong the shelf life and maintain the quality of oysters.