Effect of Chitosan Film Coating Combined with Orange Peel Essential Oil on the Shelf Life of Deepwater Pink Shrimp

In this study, effect of chitosan films combined with orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) peel essential oil on the shelf life of deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris Lucas 1846) was aimed. Chitosan (CH) and 2% orange peel essential oil (OPEO) combinated chitosan (CH+OPEO) were used for preparing film forming solution. Thickness and microstructure of the films, nutritional composition, sensory and melanosis evaluation, chemical, physical, and microbiological analyses were performed periodically and shelf-life was performed during the storage period of 15 days. The combination of chitosan film with OPEO was effective in prolonging the shelf life of fresh shrimps to 15 days (CH+OPEO), whereas the only chitosan-coated group had a shelf life of 10 days (CH) and the samples packaged without chitosan film had a shelf life of 7 days (control). The results of the study suggested that edible chitosan coatings together with OPEO preserved the shrimps and maintained the shelf life throughout the refrigerated storage period.