Use of the plasma-treated and chitosan/gallic acid-coated polyethylene film for the preservation of tilapia (Orechromis niloticus) fillets

In this study, a polyethylene (PE) film coated with chitosan (CS) and gallic acid (GA) was prepared using plasma modification technology and applied for the preservation of tilapia fillets. Based on the analysis of surface morphology and surface functional groups, it was shown that plasma modification allowed CS and GA coating on PE. And GACS/PE demonstrated better antioxidant ability than CS/PE and GA/PE individually. The results of the tilapia freshness test showed that the total plate count showed that GACS/PE can inhibit 1.52 log CFU/g and delay the production of volatile basic nitrogen below 15 mg/100 g after 14 d of storage. Moreover, GA/PE (0.26 mg MDA/kg) and GACS/PE (0.24 mg MDA/kg) showed better thiobarbituric acid inhibitiry effect than control (0.30 mg MDA/kg) on day 14. These results indicate that these packaging films are efficient in extending the shelf life of tilapia fillets.