The impact of strawflower and mistletoe extract on quality properties of rainbow trout fillets

Abstract

SummaryMany plants, including strawflower and mistletoe, contain antioxidants and antimicrobials, which can increase the shelf life of seafood. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mistletoe and strawflower extracts at doses of 0.5% (w/v) on the sensory, chemical and microbiological properties of rainbow trout fillets during 27 days of storage at 2 ± 1 °C. The phenolic compounds in these plants have been studied, but their effects on food quality and storage properties have not been reported. We found that extract of mistletoe did not extend the shelf life of the fillets; however, the strawflower extract show high antimicrobial activity in fish fillets. The shelf life of rainbow trout was 20 days for the control and fish treated with mistletoe extract and 23 days for fish treated with strawflower extract. The antioxidant effect of extracts on fish fillets was weak, whereas strawflower extract had high antimicrobial effect. Peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values fluctuated during storage periods around main values below 14 meq O2 kg−1 and 0.6 MA kg−1, respectively. Putrescine, cadaverine, spermine, spermidine, serotonin, tyramine and dopamine were main amine, whereas histamine accumulated at low levels (<2 mg per 100 g). Strawflower suppressed biogenic amine accumulation in fish fillets. At the limit of acceptability, total viable count (TVC), Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria count remained below 7.6, 6.83 and 8.01 log CFU g−1, respectively. The results of this study show that ethanol extracts of strawflower improve the shelf life of rainbow trout.