Preservative effect of an organic acid-icing system on chilled fish lipids

Abstract

This study provides a first approach concerning a novel chilling strategy, which employs a mixture of different preservative organic acids (ascorbic, citric and lactic) in the icing medium. Thus, ice prepared from water including two different concentrations of a commercial acid mixture-formula (800 and 400 ppm; C-800 and C-400 conditions, respectively) were applied as icing system to three important commercial fish lean species (hake, Merluccius merluccius; megrim, Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis; angler, Lophius piscatorius). Lipid oxidation (peroxide value; thiobarbituric acid index; fluorescent compound formation) and hydrolysis (free fatty acid formation) were evaluated throughout the chilling time (up to 12–15 days) and compared to results obtained in fish kept under traditional ice prepared only from water (C-0 condition); a complementary sensory evaluation was carried out. As a result of employing the C-800 icing condition, a partial inhibition of lipid oxidation and hydrolysis development was obtained that was accompanied by a shelf life enhancement in all cases. Further research taking into account the complementary action of the present organic acids is envisaged. According to the lipid damage analysis, lipid hydrolysis was a more relevant event than lipid oxidation in all fish species tested.