Effect of gum tragacanth–sodium alginate coatings incorporated with epigallocatechin gallate on the quality and shelf life of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) during superchilling storage

Abstract

Abstract The effect of gum tragacanth (GT) and sodium alginate (SA) active coatings incorporated with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG; 0.16%, 0.32%, and 0.64%, respectively) on the quality of large yellow croaker fillets was evaluated during superchilling storage at –3 ˚C for 42 d. The results revealed that the GT-SA-EGCG active coatings delayed microbial spoilage by reducing the total viable counts of Pseudomonas spp. and psychrophile bacteria and retarded the degradation of the physical properties of water-holding capacity, cooking loss, color, odor and texture. GT-SA-EGCG coatings could also maintain fillet freshness by maintaining lower total volatile basic nitrogen, K value, and histidine content, inhibiting myofibrillar protein degradation during superchilling storage. These results suggested that the active coatings embedded with GT-SA-EGCG could be used as a preservative to enhance the quality of large yellow croaker and prolong the shelf life by 7–14 d during superchilling storage at –3 ˚C.