Quality effects of sodium alginate coating cross-linked with CaCl2 on Mugil liza fillets during storage

The global food preservation strategy involves plastic packaging, but these materials resist to degradation, raising environmental concerns. A promising alternative to solve this problem is using biopolymers as edible coatings. Bearing this in mind, the present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a sodium alginate edible coating cross-linked with CaCl2 (AGC) on lebranche mullet (Mugil liza) fillets' quality. Fillets (∼130 g) were purchased from a local fisherman in Laguna, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Then, samples were transported on ice to the laboratory for analysis (day 1 of the experiment). Our study compared AGC treatment to fillets without edible coatings (vacuum-packed in plastic bags) and to those treated with sodium alginate alone (with and without vacuum-packed in plastic bags) over 12 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C). In addition, the edible films were characterized by their morphological properties (Scanning Electron Microscope – SEM and Moisture content). The AGC treatment improved the films with a more homogeneous surface (SEM micrographs) and decreased (p