Thermal Processing and Shelf-Life Evaluation of Red-Bellied Pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) Fish Masala in Retort Pouches

Sachin Dnyanoba Chavan; Manjanaik Bojayanaik; Jyoti Ganachari; Preethi Alakuntla; Ananya Thimmappa; Taral Pravinkumar Vaghabhai; Kirankumar Gopalbhai Baraiya; Sagar Naik Chandra Naik; Pavan Kumar Dara; Veena Shetty Alandur

doi:10.56093/ft.v62i3.164603

Authors

Sachin Dnyanoba Chavan Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Manjanaik Bojayanaik Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Jyoti Ganachari Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Preethi Alakuntla Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Ananya Thimmappa Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Taral Pravinkumar Vaghabhai Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Kirankumar Gopalbhai Baraiya Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
Sagar Naik Chandra Naik ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, India
Pavan Kumar Dara SRM Institute of Science & Technology, Tamil Nadu, India
Veena Shetty Alandur K S Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), NITTE Deemed to be University, Mangalore, India

https://doi.org/10.56093/ft.v62i3.164603

Keywords:

Pacu fish masala, retort pouches, thermal processing, amino acid profile, fatty acid profile, shelf life

Abstract

A convenient and shelf-stable ready-to-eat fish masala dish was developed using red-bellied pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) in the present study. The work focused on optimizing thermal processing conditions and evaluating their impact on the product’s safety, sensory quality, and storage stability at ambient temperature. Flexible retortable pouches were used for packaging, and heat penetration was monitored using ELLAB thermal data. The fh values recorded were 14.5 and 13.5 min for F₀ values of 6.0 and 7.0, with corresponding process times of 24.83 and 25.51 min and cook values of 59.67 and 60.90 min, respectively. Sensory, biochemical, and microbiological quality tests were carried out during storage. Heat processing caused only minimal changes in the fatty acid and amino acid profiles. No microbial growth was observed for up to 150 days. The product processed at an F₀ value of 6.0 retained better overall quality during storage. The results highlight the potential of pacu as a promising raw material for the development of ethnic ready-to-eat fish dishes.