High Pressure Processing for the Preservation of Indian White Prawn

High pressure processing (HPP) is an emerging non-thermal food processing technology, which has the ability to preserve food in fresh condition by eliminating microbes and inactivating enzymes responsible for spoilage. HPP can be applied not only for the preservation of prawns, but also for obtaining new markets. This study was designed to understand the effect of HPP on physicochemical and microbiological properties of F. indicus during chilled storage. Application of wide range of pressures on F. indicus indicated that lower pressure treatment revealed marginal difference on physicochemical and microbiological properties compared to control; whereas, at high pressures, apparent reduction of bacteria, increase of oxidation, cooked appearance and hardness were observed. Based on these findings, a range of parameters was selected for optimizing processing condition for the treatment of F. indicus by using response surface methodology. This study established HPP as an alternative technology for improving the overall quality and shelf life of F. indicus during chilled storage.