Utilization of Whitcleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Shells and Green Mussel (Perna viridis) Shells as Chitosan Coating to Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)

Freshness quality is considered as an important factor in determining overall quality of particular fish product items. Thus, as continuing effort, this study aims to assess the shelf life of Yellowfin tuna fillets incorporated with chitosan coating to histamine formation, microbial load, and sensory evaluation of produced chitosan and cooked fillets were observed during the seven (7) days of chilled storage. This study investigated the effect of chitosan coating on Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) fillets. Several analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of chitosan towards common spoilage known to fish products. Chitosan was first assessed in terms of microbial inhibitory effect. The results shows microbial count accounted to be increasing in all groups as storage time progressed. The obtained microbial counts shows highly significant differences (p<0.01) in relation to treatment under chilled storage temperature over time. The histamine content of the Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) fillets on day 0 shows acceptability in the standard limit. During day 7, the histamine content reach the critical level which is above 4000 ppm. On the other hand. sensorial parameters except flavour were not significantly affected by the chitosan application. Hence. based on the result, the chitosan application on raw Yellowfin tuna fillet aas effective in maintaining the quality of the product under chilled condition for five (5) days. Further studies on the effectiveness of the chitosan in surimi- based products is highly recommended along with several biochemical analyses.