Effects of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging on shelf life of salted pike eel (Muraenesox cinereus) fillets

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the shelf life of salted pike eel packaged with air, vacuum and modified atmosphere at 25℃. The samples were divided into four treatments: packaged with air(the controlr, M1), vacuum(M2), CO2/N2(40%/60%, M3) and CO2(M4), which were monitored the indexs of Total Volatile Base Nitrogen(TVB-N), Trimethylamine (TMA), pH value, Thiobarbituric Acid-Reactive Substances(TBARS) and Total Viable Counts (TVC). The shelf life of salted pike eel was found to be 20 days with Modified-Atmosphere Packaging(MAP), 19 days with vacuum packaging(VP), 16 days with air packaging. Bacteria grew most quickly in salted pike eel packaged with air (M1), and the lowest counts of bacteria were found in the sample with MAP(M4). The formation of TVB-N increased with time of storage. The change of TMA-N value was similar to that of TVB-N. The sensory quality of salted pike eel in MAP groups was significantly (P＜0.05) higher than that of the control group. The MAP and VP were more effective package for preservation of salted pike eel than other treatments, especially packaging with 100% CO2.