Uso do plasma não térmico na vida de prateleira do camarão branco (litopenaeus vannamei, boone 1931)

Abstract

Fish is a food that deteriorates easily and must be well handled, preserved and stored. For this, the use of new technologies is important to maintain its sensorial and nutritional characteristics, preferably free of the use of chemical additives. This can be observed with the use of clean technologies (such as modified atmosphere packaging, ozone and UV radiation) and non-thermal plasma, which has demonstrated satisfactory applicability in antimicrobial treatment, with a promising future in the food industry. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical quality (nitrogen of total volatile bases, nitrogen of trimethylamine and substances reactive to 2-tiubarbituric acid), microbial (mesophilic, psychrotrophic and salmonella sp) and sensory (quality index method - MIQ) of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), whole, fresh, treated with non-thermal plasma, at different frequencies, in the same. For this, 4 sample groups were divided into one control and the other groups submitted to cold plasma at the frequencies of 5, 10 and 15 MHz during 10 minutes of application. The effect of the use of non-thermal plasma on the microbiological, physicochemical and sensorial characteristics was then evaluated. The group submitted to non-thermal plasma contributed significantly to the maintenance of shrimp quality during storage, retarding the melanization process, microbial growth, improving the physical-chemical and sensorial qualities of the samples. The exposure of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) to non-thermal plasma under 15 MHz frequency promoted better results in physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory (proven by MIQ), increasing the shelf life of the samples in 5 days, suggesting that the treatment is effective in maintaining shrimp quality