Effect of aqueous ozone treatment on some quality changes of vacuum-packed meagre (Argyrosomus regius) fillets

In this study, microbiological, sensory and color changes in vacuum-packed meagre fillets treated with aqueous ozone for different periods of time were investigated. Meagre fillets were treated with ozone for 15 (O-15) and 30 (O-30) minutes and vacuum-packed and stored at +2 °C for 12 days. Control group (C) was not treated with ozone and stored after vacuum packaging. For microbiological changes, Total Mesophilic Aerobic Bacteria (TMAB), Pseudomonas sp., Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and Total Psychrophilic Aerobic Bacteria (TPAB) counts were analyzed. At the end of storage, the highest bacterial counts were found in group C (>7.00 log cfu/g). In ozone-treated samples, Pseudomonas sp. counts did not exceed 7.00 log cfu/g only in the O-30 group. In the sensory evaluation of the samples, it was determined that the total demerit points were 18 points for group C, 16.25 points for O-15 and 14.75 points for O-30 at the end of storage over 30. No significant change was found according to the color results of the samples, but at the end of storage, it was observed that the L value of the ozone-treated samples was higher and the samples had a lighter color. In the conclusion of the results, it was observed that ozone treatment prolonged the shelf life of vacuum-packed meagre fillets for 4 days for the O-30 group compared to control and O-15 group without causing the sensory and color loss.