Nowadays, demand for healthier food is growing hastily and this has pushed scientists to devise a new type of packaging that extend the use of the products and at the same time the products can be recyclable.
When it comes to seafood sector, food scientists have shown that edible coating makes fish fillet lasts longer and healthier. Edible coating is made by the use of a transparent film that coats the seafood product and it acts as a fence to humidity and oxygen. This type of packaging can be advantageous for seafood processing industries as it prolongs the valuable life of the fish fillet product and probably make them more nourishing by plunging them into an edible, protective coating supplemented with fish oil.
As per the analysis done by the food science professionals, when the fish fillet was packed with this type of coating, the fish fillet could be kept for two to three days more and was good for consumption. Moreover, the liquid used for coating contains a certain type of element known as Chitosan which comes from crustacean cells. This was used as films for wrapping of fish fillet to prohibit bacteria and fungi from entering and it also extends the storage cycle of the fish fillet. After the coating was done, some of the fish fillets that were used for testing, were keep in refrigerator for three weeks while the remaining were kept frozen for three months.
When the frozen fish fillets were analyzed after a specific amount of days, it was found that amount of omega-3 fatty acids were three times higher in the fish fillets that were coated and kept in refrigerator as compared to uncoated fish.
Omega-3 fatty acids are vital nutrients found in fish fillet and research recommends that an increase in the omega-3 may have a number of benefits to human health.
Ref:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060905084809.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716164346.htm
http://www.seawork.com.na/fish-processing.html
