Influence of packaging atmosphere on the quality of karikkadi shrimp stored at chilled condition

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to assess the effect of different packaging atmosphere on the keeping quality of whole Parapenaopsis stylifera, commonly known as ‘karikkadi shrimp’, during chilled storage. Fresh karikkadi shrimp after washing in potable water was divided into 3 sets and nylon-ethylene vinyl alcohol - polyethylene multilayered film was used to pack all the 3 sets of shrimps. Fresh shrimp had moisture and protein contents of 77 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. Within a day, the O2 absorber, ZPT 200 EC reduced the percentage of oxygen inside the package to less than 0.01 per cent. During storage, there was a significant difference in the count of mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria of all the three samples and shrimp packed with O2 absorber had lower values compared to vacuum and air packed samples. The count of Pseudomonas spp. was higher in AP than the reduced O2 packed samples, throughout the storage. TBARS values presented an increasing trend during the storage of shrimp and the rate of increase of TBARS value was more in AP sample. Based on the sensory score, the shrimps packed with OA and VP were acceptable up to 15 and 12 days, respectively whereas the shelf life was only 9 days for AP sample. Results of the current study indicate that reduced O2 packaging atmosphere positively influences the quality and shelf life of chilled stored shrimp by restricting the presence of O2 inside the package.