Influence of mono‑ and multilayered packaging material on the quality of seer fish (Scomberomorus commerson) during chilled storage

Abstract

Consumers prefer fresh, mildly preserved fishes without added chemicals. Due to increasing awareness among consumers on health aspects, demand for fish is ever increasing. The conventional preservation methods do not offer fresh-like product for longer duration, which limits the availability of fish in distant markets. Hence, the present study was undertaken to assess the effect of mono- and multilayered packaging material on the quality of seer fish steaks during chilled storage. For this, seer fish (Scomberomorus commerson) steaks were packed in LDPE (monolayer) and polyester–polyethylene (multilayer) pouches and the packs were sealed and stored in ice. Sampling was carried out at regular intervals to assess the changes in headspace gas composition, sensory quality, biochemical, physical and microbial quality. Significant reduction in O2 and increase in CO2 content was observed for both the packs. Lower microbial counts were observed for seer fish packed in multilayered pouches as compared to LDPE. Significant (P < 0.05) lower TVB-N values were observed for seer fish packed in multilayered pouches. Reduction in TBA values and TVBN content was observed for samples packed in multilayer compared to monolayer film. No significant variation in flavor, firmness and taste was observed among the samples up to 7th day. Sensorily, seer fish steaks packed in LDPE were acceptable up to ~ 11–12 days compared to ~ 13–14 days in multilayered pouches indicating better quality in multilayered pouches.