Effects of combined carnosine and ultra-high pressure on the inhibition of fishy off-odor of snakehead fillets and the possible mechanism

The effects of combined application of ultra-high pressure (300 Mpa, 900 s) and carnosine on the inhibition of fishy off-odor from snakehead meat were investigated. Results showed that the combination effectively inhibited the formation of fishy volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trimethylamine (TMA-N). Further studies demonstrated that the reduction of VOCs was mainly due to the inhibition of lipids oxidation based on the antioxidant activity of carnosine and the inactivation of lipoxygenase by UHP. Moreover, the reduction of TMA-N was mainly attributed to the ability of UHP processing to reduce bacterial load, which also extended the shelf-life of snakehead fillets by ∼ 6 days and retarded the production of TVB-N. Additionally, the combined application allowed a better retention of pH, color, and textural quality of the fillets compared with the control. Therefore, the current combination is a promising technique in fishy off-odor removing and better preservation of snakehead meat.