The effect of soluble gas stabilization and high-pressure processing on rehydrated dried salt-cured cod vacuum packaged in bio-based bags

This study evaluates the combination of soluble gas stabilization (SGS) and high-pressure processing (HPP) as hurdle technology on rehydrated clip fish (dried salt-cured cod) packaged in bio-based materials. The factors studied include SGS/non-SGS, pressure at 400MPa/600MPa (5 min, 8-9 °C) and vacuum packaging with conventional/bio-based material. Stored over 48 d at 4 °C, the investigated parameters were drip loss, water and protein content, free amino acid (FAA) composition, colour, texture, pH and microbiological shelf life. Results revealed minimal differences in quality between packaging materials. The SGS-treated samples gave higher drip loss, lower water but higher protein and FAA content, and a softer texture. Nevertheless, adding CO2 prior to HPP significantly extended the product’s microbiological shelf life compared to only HPP. Therefore, using a more environmentally friendly bio-based packaging material is feasible while undergoing mild treatments like the combination of SGS and HPP at a lower treatment pressure for shelf-life extension.