Inhibition of lipid oxidation in frozen farmed ovate pompano (Trachinotus ovatus L.) fillets stored at −18 °C by chitosan coating incorporated with citric acid or licorice extract

BACKGROUND Lipid oxidation can occur in fish fillets during long‐term frozen storage and cause quality and nutrition loss, which is a major concern in the seafood industry. Our previous study showed that chitosan combined with citric acid or licorice extract can have a preserving effect on fresh fish fillets stored at 4 °C. It is of interest to further study their antioxidant effects on fish fillets during frozen storage. RESULTS Chitosan, chitosan and citric acid, chitosan and licorice extract can inhibit primary and secondary lipid oxidation, as indicated by lower peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values compared to the control samples. In addition, drip loss was decreased in the treatment samples. Both citric acid and licorice extract enhanced the antioxidant effects of chitosan. Among all the three treatments, chitosan and licorice extract showed the best antioxidant effects, reducing both PV and TBARS significantly at the end of storage. CONCLUSION The combination of chitosan and citric acid or licorice extract showed significant antioxidant effects on ovate pompano fillets at −18 °C during 6 months of storage. They could be applied as natural antioxidant preservatives for use in seafood products or other meat products. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry