Influence of Haematococcus pluvialis oil extract on shelf life of astaxanthin-rich, tilapia-surimi-based restructured fillets under chilled storage

Surimi is a lean source of fish protein that is widely consumed worldwide in various forms. It is produced by repeatedly washing minced fish to yield a gel-forming paste primarily composed of myofibrillar proteins and cryoprotectants. Although surimi has long been marketed as both a protein source and an imitation seafood product, its production has traditionally used lean saltwater white-meat fish. With the availability of various fish species and fish mince waste, there is growing interest in producing surimi from alternative species, especially low commercial value species, and in improving surimi with additives or new production technologies. The restructured fish fillet formulation included tilapia surimi, functional additives (fish gelatin, carrageenan, and ۲% astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis oil), egg white powder, and flavoring (glycine, and ۲% fish essence). All components were thoroughly blended, and the paste was manually shaped into fillet pieces. The resulting reconstructed fillets were then subjected to texture profile analysis, lipid oxidation tests, and sensory evaluation. Among the reconstructed fillets, the astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis oil–enriched formulation exhibited the closest visual and textural properties to raw salmon, making it a promising paste for reconstructing salmon fillet and effectively mimicking its sensory attributes. TVB-N increased over time and was higher in the control (۴.۵۳ mg/۱۰۰ g) by day ۱۰ than in the astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis oil–incorporated sample (۱.۳۷ mg/۱۰۰ g). Similarly, the peroxide value (PV) was higher in the control (۷.۵۱ meq O۲/kg) than in the astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis oil–enriched sample (۳.۹۷ meq O۲/kg) on day ۱۰. This study demonstrates the potential of Tilapia surimi paste and astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis oil for producing nutritionally enriched, structurally and texturally stable salmon analogues. Furthermore, based on sensory and microbiological analyses, the control product had a shelf life of ۶ days, whereas the product incorporating astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis oil extended shelf life to ۱۰ days.

کلیدواژه ها:

Restructured seafood ، Surimi ، Astaxanthin ، Antioxidant ، Quality