Abstract
This study was realized to evaluate the effect of an alginate-based coating with oatmeal flour on lipid oxidation (quantified using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay), color (Cielab), pH, texture, and weight loss of tilapia fillets during 15 days. Five treatments were evaluated: CON – fillets without coating, AC – fillets with alginate coating, ACO1 – fillets coated with 1% of oatmeal, ACO2– fillets coated with 2% of oatmeal, ACO3 – and fillets coated with 3% of oatmeal flour. The samples were randomly removed at 1, 5, 10 and 15 days of storage for analysis. A reduction was observed of the lipid oxidation on the coated fillets (AC, ACO1, ACO2 and ACO3) when compared to the control (P<0.05). Still, the coating with 3% of oatmeal was the most efficient for oxidation. The lipid oxidation increased (P<0.05) during the storage time. The L* values were similar among treatments, except at 5 days for color. The storage time did not affect (P>0.05) the L* values, a* values were negative and b* values were higher (P<0.05) with alginate coatings and oatmeal flour addition. Coated fillets maintained their firmness during storage, while uncovered fillets became softer (P<0.05). The weight loss of the fillets (Table 3) increased (P<0.05) during the storage period, but alginate coating and addition of oatmeal reduced (P<0.05) the mass loss in comparison to the CON and AC treatments. The pH did not change during the storage period for all samples (P>0.05). Thus, edible coatings could be used in the industry to maintain the product quality during its shelf-life.
