VACUUM PACKAGING AND COLD STORAGE FOR EXTENDING THE SHELF LIFE OF Clarias sp. MARINATED WITH NATURAL SEASONINGS

Abstract

Catfish, scientifically named Clarias sp., is one of the most appreciated fish species in Indonesia owing to its nutritional components, availability, and affordability. Prolonging the shelf life of fresh gutted catfish and serving it as a ready-to-cook product are necessary conditions to tackle the rapid biodeterioration of the gutted fish during storage and simultaneously offer consumer-friendliness. Therefore, this study investigated the use of packaging methods on the microbiological and physical properties of marinated catfish under different storage temperatures. A factorial randomized complete block design was implemented in this study, with factor A as a type of packaging consisting of A1 (vacuum-packaging) and A2 (air-packaging), and factor B as a storage temperature involving room (B1), chilling (B2), and freezing (B3) temperatures. Results showed that the combination of vacuum packaging and freezing (A1B3) exhibited the lowest microbial load (4.05 log₁₀ CFU/g) of the marinated catfish after 18-day storage. This satisfied the Indonesian regulation of maximum microbial load (5.69 log₁₀ CFU/g) in fresh fish under SNI 2729:2021. On the other hand, the highest microbial load (8.28 log₁₀ CFU/g) was found in marinated catfish kept in air-packed at room temperature (A2B1) after 3-day storage. As a consequence, the reductions in color (lightness = 41.68) and texture (16.91 g/mm) properties of the marinated catfish were noticeable, while the pH increased to 7.54. The findings underscore that vacuum packaging at freezing temperatures can extend the shelf life of marinated catfish by 18 days.