Antimicrobial Performance of Two Different Packaging Materials on the Microbiological Quality of Fresh Salmon

Manuela Rollini,Alida Musatti,Tim Nielsen,Rafael Gavara,Pilar Hernandez Munoz,Sara Limbo,Luciano Piergiovanni

doi:10.3390/coatings6010006

Abstract

In the present research the antimicrobial activity of two active packaging materials on the spoilage microbiota of fresh salmon fillets was tested. A PET-coated film (PET: Polyethylene Terephthalate) containing lysozyme and lactoferrin was tested in parallel with a carvacrol-coextruded multilayer film. Salmon fillet samples were stored up to four days at 0 and 5 °C, comparatively. The carvacrol multilayer film was found effective in preventing mesophiles and psychrotrophs at shorter storage time and at lower temperature (4.0 compared to 5.0 log CFU/g in the control sample—CFU: Colony Forming Units). Lysozyme/lactoferrin-coated PET was instead efficient in decreasing H2S-producing bacteria at longer storage time and higher temperature (2.7 instead of 4.7 log CFU/g in the control sample). Even if is not intended as a way to “clean” a contaminated food product, an active package solution can indeed contribute to reducing the microbial population in food items, thus lowering the risk of food-related diseases.

Highlights

Salmon is an important product of aquaculture: 1,400,000 ton were produced in 2010 with a value of more than seven billion US dollars
The aim of the present research was to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of two active packaging materials on the spoilage microbiota of fresh salmon fillets
A PET-coated film containing lysozyme and lactoferrin was tested in parallel with a carvacrol-coextruded multilayer film

Summary

Introduction

Salmon is an important product of aquaculture: 1,400,000 ton were produced in 2010 with a value of more than seven billion US dollars. In 2009, the main producers of Atlantic salmon were Norway, Chile, the EU and Canada [1]. In the chilled seafood supply chain, microbial-mediated changes dominate the spoilage process [3]. The primary spoilage bacteria in aerobically packed fish are Gram-negatives from the genera Pseudomonas and Shewanella while in modified atmospheres, they are Photobacterium as well as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as Lactobacillus and Carnobacterium [3,4]. Shewanella putrefaciens and Pseudomonas spp. become the main producers of the volatile compounds associated with spoilage, Coatings 2016, 6, 6; doi:10.3390/coatings6010006 www.mdpi.com/journal/coatings

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