Effects of Vacuum Packaging and Low Temperature Storage on the Quality of Cooked Blue Swimming Crab Meat (Porunus pelagicus)

Abstract

This research study aimed to compare packaging conditions between vacuum packaging and normal packaging on quality change regardingthe physical, chemical and microbiological properties of cooked blue swimming crab meat (Porunus pelagicus) stored at 4 ^oC during 15 days of storage. The only lump meat part of the crab was focused in this study. The result showed that lump meat packed under vacuum packaging had lower total color difference (DE), ammonia content, TCA-soluble peptide, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and total variable count than those stored in normal packaging (p£0.05). It indicated that crab meat package in vacuum packaging showed the effect on the retardation of bacterial growth and lipid oxidation.  The evaluation of sensory quality of the crab meat under vacuum packaging showed higher score of appearance and smell than those of crab meat stored in normal packaging. Therefore, the optimum condition for storage of crab meat was vacuum packaging, which kept for 9 days at 4 °C.