Effect of High Pressure Processing on the Quality and Endogenous Enzyme Activities of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) Fillets Stored at 4°C

This study assessed effects of high pressure processing on physicochemical quality and endogenous enzyme activities of grass carp fillets stored at 4 degrees C for 21-day storage. Fresh fillets were vacuum-packed and subjected to high pressure processing (0.1, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 MPa at room temperature for 15 min). Results showed that high pressure processing significantly delayed microbial growth, and reduced total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS ) levels of grass carp fillets, especially for the 600 MPa group. On the 21st day, the corresponding increases of 6%, 35%, 45%, 43%, and 53% in hardness were observed for 200 MPa, 300 MPa, 400 MPa, 500 MPa, and 600 MPa samples compared with control samples, respectively. In addition, enzyme activities in different groups decreased during storage. Among them, calpain, and myofibril-bound serine proteinases (MBSP) activities were immediately reduced after high pressure treatments, while the activities of collagenase, cathepsin B, and cathepsin D were significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited when the pressure exceeded 400 MPa. However, the pressure treatments activated cathepsin L initially, and then the activity gradually decreased in treated samples. Generally, high pressure processing reduced activities of most of the endogenous enzymes and improved the quality and extended the shelf life by at least 4 similar to 6 days of refrigerated grass carp fillets.