Natural phenolic compound coated oxygen scavenging active polyolefin film for preserving quality of fish cake

Functional, oxygen-scavenging low-density polyethylene (PE) films were fabricated for developing a fish cake package and modified by incorporating sodium carbonate (SC) and coated with 10–20% pyrogallic acid (PA). The effect of oxygen scavenging films on the storage stability of fresh fish cake was studied. The oxygen scavenging analysis, microbial analysis, and tests for pH, texture profile, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) for fish cakes were performed during 30 days of storage at 5 and 25 °C. The initial oxygen concentration (%) in the headspace of the absorption cell (20.90%) decreased to 18.26% and 9.46% for the film containing 20% PA and to 18.64% and 14.77% for the film containing 10% PA after 8 days of storage at 5 and 25 °C, respectively. The pure PE-coated fish experienced the greatest pH change (3.45), while the PE/SC/PA-20% film showed the lowest (4.01) until the storage end. Samples packaged in PE/SC/PA-20% were firmer than the control. At the end of storage, the TBARS value in the modified PE/SC/PA-20% sample showed the lowest value of 26.32 and 33.38 mg MDA/kg at 5 and 25 °C. The film-coated with 20% PA effectively maintained the quality of a fish cake during 30 days of storage. The microbiological load in the PE/SC/PA-20% was less than 7 log CFU/g, which is permissible according to international standards. The results proved that the developed oxygen scavenging films could be attributed to the positive effects on the quality loss of oxygen-sensitive fish cake products.