Mofetoluwa Adeosun
What effect does Packaging have on the quality and safety of Sardines?
Fish is a highly perishable food whose shelf life is limited to the concentration of atmospheric oxygen and the growth of spoilage microorganisms. A technique involving the modification of the atmosphere within the package reduces the oxygen concentration while increasing the carbon dioxide concentration, leading to an increase in the shelf life of the highly perishable food at chilled temperatures (Ozogul et al, 2004). The preservation techniques used to reduce the oxygen concentration include Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and Vacuum packaging (VP). However in a low oxygen atmosphere, non-proteolytic Clostridium Botulinum type E will grow and produce toxins (Sivertsvik et al, 2003). The growth of this microorganism in MAP will cause a change in the colour, odour and texture (Ozogul et al, 2004). In addition, MAP packaging of fish causes drip loss, histamine production and discolouration (Ozogul et al, 2004). Packaging systems extends food shelf life but encourages growth of pathogenic organisms and a causes a decline in food quality. Knowing the effect of packaging is necessary due to the increased t …show more content…
The production of Histamine begins at death, when the Sardines defense mechanism no longer inhibit bacterial growth in the tissue, therefore enabling the growth of histamine forming bacteria ( Visiano et al , 2012). The highest amount of toxicity reached is 750-900mg/kg (Viciano et al,