Essential oil vapour inclusion in protective atmosphere packaging for shelf-life management of fisheries

Fish is well known for its perishable nature. Essential oils in food packaging seem to be safe and reliable both in terms of safety for the consumer and in terms of improving the shelf life of the product. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two different essential oil vapours (one with rosemary and the other one with lemon extract) on three different types of fishery products (swordfish steaks, bluefin tuna steaks and Argentinian prawns) stored in a protective atmosphere packaging, monitoring the shelf life up to 8 days through microbiological, chemical and sensorial analyses. The results showed that the products preserved with the inclusion of essential oils have reached the end of the shelf-life period respecting the process hygiene and food safety criteria, receiving a greater appreciation rating from the consumer panel at the end of shelf life for the prawns and swordfish samples with the addition of rosemary essential oils vapours, which instead highlighted the worst result at the end of shelf life for tuna.