Quality (philosophy)

Quantum mechanics

Engineering

Pascalization

Bacteria

Biology

Fish <Actinopterygii>

Fishery

Biochemistry

High pressure

Food science

Flesh

Mackerel

Food spoilage

TBARS

Genetics

Physics

Lipid peroxidation

Antioxidant

Chewiness

Chemistry

Shelf life

Food quality

Engineering physics

Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high pressure processing (HPP) (100, 300 or 500 MPa for 2 or 5 min) on microbial inactivation, quality parameters and nutritional quality indices of mackerel fillets. A significant reduction in TVC and H2S-producing bacteria was detected at 300 MPa for 5 min and 500 MPa for 2 or 5 min. Lightness (L*) increased and redness (a*) decreased at the highest treatment intensities. Hardness, chewiness and springiness increased with the most intense treatments but neither cohesiveness nor TBARS values were affected by pressurization. HPP significantly decreased levels of EPA, PUFAs, HUFAs, DHA, CLAs and increased MUFAs and SFAs. TI significantly increased at the highest pressurization intensities and AI was affected when HPP was held for 5 min. However, the ratio PUFA/SFA above 0.45 in pressurized mackerel fillets indicated that HPP did not compromise the nutritional value of this pelagic fish. The potential of HPP to inhibit spoilage and increase the shelf-life of mackerel fillets, while maintaining its quality and healthy attributes, could help the fish processing industry to ensure better quality raw material for further processing, thereby enabling the development of new, value-added products with extended shelf- life. The reduction in the processing time with the subsequent saving of energy compared to conventional thermal methods makes HPP a relatively energy efficient and suitable preservation treatment for the fish industry.

High pressure processing on microbial inactivation, quality parameters and nutritional quality indices of mackerel fillets