The Combined Efficacy of Superchilling and High CO2 Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Shelf Life and Quality of Swimming Crab (Portunus trituberculatus)

The combined effect of superchilling and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) treatment on the quality of swimming crab during storage was investigated. As a result, significantly (p < 0.05) higher inhibitor effects on total aerobic plate counts (TPCs) were observed in MAP treatments than in control (air package). Additionally, chemical analysis results showed that MAP treatments with 40-80% carbon dioxide (CO2) were highly effective in maintaining lower total volatile basic-nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine-nitrogen (TMA-N), pH, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values in swimming crab (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the brightness (L*) results also confirmed that this combined treatment showed a positive effect on the stability of color during storage. Results also indicated that the combination of superchilling and 60% CO2 MAP treatment prolonged the shelf life of swimming crab to 15-20 days. However, 100% CO2 MAP treatment showed a negative effect on the drip loss and overall acceptability, indicating CO2 content should be considered as a critical factor in this promising technology.