Effects of Multiple Freeze–Thaw Cycles on Biochemical and Physical Quality Changes of White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) Treated with Lysine and Sodium Bicarbonate

Abstract

Freezing and thawing occur during storage, transportation, and retail display, leading to deterioration of frozen shrimp. The objective of this research was to investigate the change in quality of frozen white shrimp treated by lysine and NaHCO3 after multiple freeze–thaw cycles. Shrimp were soaked in lysine and lysine/NaHCO3 each at 1% (w/v) frozen in an air‐blast freezer at −30 °C, and kept in a chest freezer (−18 ± 2 °C) for a week before they were thawed using tap water before the analysis (freeze–thaw cycle 1). The samples were subjected to five freeze–thaw cycles, which were repeated every week. Qualities of the samples were determined for thawing loss, cutting force, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), as well as oxidation stability by using Rancimat. The use of lysine/NaHCO3 could significantly reduce thawing loss at all freeze–thaw cycles compared to the control and lysine treatment (P < 0.05). Similar results were found with TVB‐N and the oxidation stability of the samples. A difference in cutting forces of the shrimp between lysine and lysine/NaHCO3 treatment was found when the frequency of freeze–thawing was increased to three cycles; it was lower than that in the control at all cycles. Histological study showed that the treatment with lysine/NaHCO3 led to the swelling of muscle fibers and fewer fragments at five freeze–thaw cycles. The results showed that lysine/NaHCO3 could effectively retard the quality loss from repeated freeze–thawing during frozen storage. Practical Application Repeated freezing and thawing usually occur during storage, transportation, retail display or in restaurants, and in consumers’ kitchens. The temperature at the manufacturing site and during transportation in a tropical country like Thailand is relatively high, and frozen food producers come across quality deterioration resulting from multiple freeze–thaw cycles occurring during transportation and storage. Frozen shrimp producers require research to improve product quality by adding nonphosphate food additives or, if possible, by using natural food ingredients instead of polyphosphate or sodium bicarbonate.

Icy affairs: Understanding recent advancements in the freezing and frozen storage of fish

“…An extensive literature on mechanisms of lipid oxidation in frozen fish have accumulated till date (Ashton, 2002; Hematayar et al., 2019; Hyldig et al., 2012), with particular emphasis on optimizing animal welfare, preprocessing, packaging, and frozen storage temperature to avoid it (Ashton, 2002; Londahl & Nilsson, 2003; Secci & Parsi, 2016). Repeated freeze–thaw cycles can also accelerate lipid oxidation by fracturing the cell, promoting phospholipase and lipoxygenase enzymes (Wachirasiri et al., 2019).…”

Effects of different thawing methods on physicochemical properties and structure of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

“…A TA‐XT plus texture analyzer (Stable Micro Systems Ltd, Godalming, UK) was used to measure the texture of fillet according to the method of Wachirasiri, Wanlapa, Uttapap, Puttanlek, and Rungsardthong () with slight modifications. Largemouth bass thawed fillets were cut into 2 × 2 × 2 cm 3 cubes and weighed about 7.5 ± 0.05 g. Texture profile analysis (TPA) mode of a texture analyzer and (P/50) stainless steel probe were used to analyze the texture properties of the samples.…”

Gelatin hydrolysate in freeze–thawed shrimp model system: retardation of weight loss and muscle protein denaturation

“…Additionally, no significant difference was observed in the shear force of gelatin hydrolysate-and mixed phosphates-treated shrimp between freeze-thawing at 1 and 5 cycles (P > 0.05). Wachirasiri et al (2019) reported that untreated shrimp were tougher when subjected to a higher freeze-thaw cycle, and shrimp treated with lysine and lysine/NaHCO 3 could maintain cutting force throughout 5 freeze-thaw cycles. It indicates that gelatin hydrolysate may serve as a potential cryoprotectant in frozen shrimp, delaying the denaturation of muscle protein induced by recrystallization occurring from the freeze-thawed process.…”