Effects of high hydrostatic pressure on microstructure, texture, colour and biochemical changes of red abalone (Haliotis rufecens) during cold storage time

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of high hydrostatic pressure on quality changes (microstructure, colour, texture and biochemical) of red abalone (Haliotis rufecens) during storage time at 4 °C. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments were applied at 500 MPa for 8 min and 550 MPa for 3 and 5 min. Biochemical indices covering pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and trimethylamine (TMA), as well as instrumental texture, microstructure and colour of abalone samples were determined immediately after treatment and throughout subsequent storage at 4 °C. Results have shown that HHP-treated abalones have significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher pH, moisture and ash content than untreated abalones. Protein and fat contents of treated abalones were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower compared to untreated sample (control). TVB-N and TMA levels for HHP-treated abalones rose over the storage period but did not exceed 28 mg TVB-N/100 g and 3 mg TMA/100 g, respectively at the end of 60 days. Instead, the untreated sample exceeded the allowed limit in a 30 day period for the TVB-N and TMA. However, all HHP treatments had less negative effects on tissue colour of abalone than untreated samples in the cold storage time; moreover, whiteness index was reduced to 8% at the end of day 60. A more compact structure was identified as high hydrostatic pressure was higher. Thus, it was concluded that holes in muscle fibres were often due to protein gelation, whenever pressure and protein concentration are high enough, confirming that the structure of abalone muscle treated with high hydrostatic pressure differed significantly from that of raw abalone meat.Industrial relevanceThis paper provides information on microstructural and biochemical stability under prolonged storage time of abalone after pressure treatments which are quite scarce. In base of the data accumulated, criteria for commercial production of high quality abalone with safety requirements could be established.

► HHP treatment affects significantly (p < 0.05) the microstructure and biochemical properties.
► At the end of 60 days, pressurised samples did not exceed the TVB-N and TMA contents.
► The colour parameters on treated samples were more stable than untreated samples.
► High pressure samples exhibited a more compact structure and homogeneous network than control samples