ESTUDO DO ACONDICIONAMENTO DE TILÁPIA (Oreochromis niloticus) EM EMBALAGEM COM ATMOSFERA MODIFICADA

Abstract

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the main species cultivated in Brazil and its fillet has wide acceptance of consumers seeking fresh fish. The chemical, enzymatic and microbiological reactions that occur in its muscles, allied to the presence of oxygen and room temperature, make the fish highly perishable. Modified Atmosphere Packaging is a food preservation method that provides increased shelf life, aiding the commercialization of products. In this way, the Brazilian fishing industry began to meet the consumption demand, by offering the fillet of tilapia packaged in modified atmosphere. The objective of this work was to carry out a literature review on the use of modified atmosphere packaging in tilapia, determining the principles of technology, analyzing its effects on the sensorial quality of fish and describing the process in a processing company. The modified atmosphere packaging technology consists of the packaging of food with replacement of the natural atmosphere by a mixture of gases of known composition, with the purpose of reducing the quality losses and increasing the shelf life of the products. The main gases used are carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen. Recent studies show that the packing of tilapia fillets in the atmosphere with composition of 40-60% CO2 / 40-60% N2 is conducive to increase its shelf life when stored at temperature range from 0 to 5 ºC. However, absorbent pads must be used to retain the exudate, to control the temperature during storage, distribution and commercialization, and to analyze the color variation of the fillets during storage.