Optimizing UVC‐LED application to improve the shelf life of vacuum‐packed refrigerated stored Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fillets

Although ultraviolet‐C light‐emitting diode (UVC‐LED) has proven antimicrobial effectiveness doses needed to reach it cause adverse effects on the physicochemical quality of fish, and thus, optimization studies are crucial to boost its industrial application. This study aimed to identify optimal UVC‐LED conditions for maximum shelf life extension with the least possible quality changes of refrigerated stored tilapia fillets from a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). UVC‐LED powers (1, 1.38, and 1.58 mW/cm2) and times (500, 1800, and 2700 s) were set on the CCRD, which generated 11 treatments, including three replicate experiments. Treatments were analyzed for total aerobic psychrotrophic count, lipid oxidation, instrumental color, and texture parameters on days 0, 2, 4, 7, 11, and 14. The UVC‐LED affected shelf life and physicochemical parameters in a nonlinear fashion. UVC‐LED‐treated fish had increased shelf life by 2.80–4.76 days and increase or decrease in lipid oxidation (0.025–0.276 mg of malondialdehyde [MDA]/kg), total color change (∆E = 3.47–9.06), and hardness (1.31–8.51 N) over the refrigerated storage depending on specific UVC‐LED conditions applied. The optimal UVC‐LED condition was 0.97 mW/cm2 with 2503.6 s (2428.50 mJ/cm2), which increased the fillet's shelf life by 2.5‐fold (2 days) while maintaining quality closer to the original throughout refrigerated storage, resulting in ∆E