Effect of Transglutaminase Enzyme and some Natural Antioxidants on the Quality of Ready to Eat Catfish Fingers during Frozen Storage

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

2 Department of Food Science & Technology (Home Economics), Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

To increase the utilization of catfish, ready to eat fish fingers were prepared and evaluated during frozen
storage at -18˚C for 5 months. The effect of transglutaminase enzyme, date seed powder, citric acid and ascorbic acid,
added individually or in combination, on physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory properties were investigated.
The obtained results indicated that pH, TVB-N, TMA, FFA, PV and TBA were decreased significantly (P≤0.05) in the
treated fish finger samples compared to the control. Also, the applied natural antioxidants retarded the microbial growth
(aerobic plate count, pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts) during storage period as the treated samples gave
better results compared to the control sample. Also, sensory evaluations (color, odor, taste, texture and overall
acceptability) indicated that such natural treatments improved sensory scores of the prepared fingers during frozen
storage in comparison with the control sample.

Keywords