Preservative effect of an organic acid-icing system on chilled fish lipids

This study provides a first approach concerning a novel chilling strategy, which employs a mixture of different preservative organic acids (ascorbic, citric and lactic) in the icing medium. Thus, ice prepared from water including two different concentrations of a commercial acid mixture-formula (800 and 400 ppm; C-800 and C-400 conditions, respectively) were applied as icing system to three important commercial fish lean species (hake, Merluccius merluccius; megrim, Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis; angler, Lophius piscatorius). Lipid oxidation (peroxide value; thiobarbituric acid index; fluorescent compound formation) and hydrolysis (free fatty acid formation) were evaluated throughout the chilling time (up to 12-15 days) and compared to results obtained in fish kept under traditional ice prepared only from water (C-0 condition); a complementary sensory evaluation was carried out. As a result of employing the C-800 icing condition, a partial inhibition of lipid oxidation and hydrolysis development was obtained that was accompanied by a shelf life enhancement in all cases. Further research taking into account the complementary action of the present organic acids is envisaged. According to the lipid damage analysis, lipid hydrolysis was a more relevant event than lipid oxidation in all fish species tested.