Effect of Chitosan Edible Coating Enriched with Eucalyptus Essential Oil and α‐Tocopherol on Silver Carp Fillets Quality During Refrigerated Storage

Abstract The effects of chitosan coating incorporated with eucalyptus essential oil and α‐tocopherol on the quality of silver carp fillet during chilled storage (4 + 1°C) were examined over a period of 16 days. The control samples (without any coating), chitosan coating (CH), chitosan coating incorporated with eucalyptus essential oil (CH+EEO) and chitosan coating incorporated with eucalyptus essential oil and α‐tocopherol (CH+EEO+α) were analyzed by chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics. Results showed that, total viable counts, total psychrotrophic counts and total volatile basic nitrogen of CH+EEO and CH+EEO+α were significantly lower than control and CH ( P ≤ 0.05). Addition of α‐tocopherol to EEO retarded lipid oxidation. According to the sensory analysis results, CH+EEO+α was acceptable even at the end of the 16‐day storage. The results indicated that chitosan coating was improved extending of meat shelf life. Using eucalyptus essential oil and α‐tocopherol increased its efficiency significantly. Practical Apllications Fresh fish are usually more perishable than most other muscle foods. Many attempts have been made to prevent the spoilage of fresh fish. To avoid the use of synthetic food additives, numerous studies are currently focused on using natural products to improve the quality of sea food products. The results of the present study report the efficacy of chitosan edible coating enriched with eucalyptus essential oil and α‐tocopherol as a new natural preservative for developing the shelf life of silver carp fillets.