Retardation of melanosis development and quality degradation of Litopenaeus vannamei with starving treatment during cold storage

The melanosis development and quality deterioration of Litopenaeus vannamei treated with starvation prior to storage were monitored during cold storage at 4 °C for 8 days. Compared with the control group, the shrimps subjected to starving showed lower melanosis score and the significant retarding effect on melanosis development was observed in the shrimps with starvation for 2 days (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the changes in quality-related biochemical attributes such as pH, total volatile base (TVB), protease and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities revealed that starvation for 2 days could significantly inhibit the microbial proliferation and the activities of endogenous protease and PPO (P < 0.05), with highest scores for brightness and overall acceptability than others at the end of storage. Therefore, shrimps starved for 2 days before storage could be a promising method to inhibt melanosis and deterioration during refrigerated storage.