THE COMBINED EFFECT OF IRRADIATION AND ANTIOXIDANT PACKAGING ON SHELF LIFE EXTENSION OF GOAT FISH (PARUPENEUS INDICUS): MICROBIAL, CHEMICAL AND EPR SPECTRAL ASSESSMENT

The present study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of gamma radiation (110 kGy) in combination with antioxidant wrapping (butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA], curcumin, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [EDTA]) for extending the quality and shelf life of goat fish Parupeneus indicus Quality assessment was studied by monitoring the chemical (total volatile base nitrogen, trimethyl amine [TMA] and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), microbiological (total bacterial count) and electro paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral analysis. A dose-dependent reduction of TVB and TMA was contemplated with irradiated samples. Lowest TVB (21 +/- 1.52) and TMA (3.8 +/- 0.7) were seen in 10 kGy irradiated samples compared with control TVB (79 +/- 2.5) and TMA (22 +/- 1.1) values. Antioxidant coated samples exhibited lower t-bars values indicative of higher antioxidant activity than the control. A final t-bars value of 0.346 +/- 0.04 was seen for control, while it was 0.25 +/- 0.03, 0.31 +/- 0.04 0.31 +/- 0.03 for BHA, curcumin and EDTA coated samples, respectively. Scavenging potential of selected antioxidants was measured in EPR using a stable radical 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. Infusion of fish samples with antioxidants diminished the intensity of EPR radical peak in irradiated samples. Outcome of the study proposes irradiation along with antioxidant wrapping as an efficient tool in preservation of foods from the sea.