Application of the curcumin-mediated photodynamic inactivation for preserving the storage quality of salmon contaminated with L. monocytogenes

The effect of curcumin-mediated blue light-emitting diode (LED) photodynamic inactivation (PDI) for preserving the quality of salmon contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes was investigated by microbiological, physical, chemical and histological methods during sample storage at 4 ℃ and 25 ℃. The results showed that PDI decelerated the proliferation of L. monocytogenes on salmon during storage at 25 ℃, with the maximum inhibition reaching 4.0 log10 CFU/g (99.99%), compared to the negative control. Moreover, PDI greatly retarded the increase in pH (P < 0.05) and the production of TVB-N, retarded the accumulation of free fatty acids, and decelerated the degradation of proteins, ultimately preserving the high nutritional value of the salmon. In addition, PDI effectively prevented a change in colour and retarded the loss of water from the salmon, thereby conserving its texture and sensory properties. Therefore, PDI is a promising and valid non-thermal technology to use for fish preservation.