Calcined Oyster Shell Powder as a Natural Preservative for Maintaining Quality of White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicated that the average global production of oyster shell waste for the year 2019 was 3.08 million tons. Many serious problems include the emission of displeasing odors and pollution of the seaside, which are harmful to the environment. Nonetheless, a solution for this issue would be to reuse the waste and produce a product that has economic benefits and solves the environmental problems. Using calcined oyster shells as a natural preservative might solve the problem of oyster shell waste. In this study, we used calcined oyster shell powder (COSP) as a natural preservative for improving shrimp shelf-life during 12 days under refrigerated conditions. As compared with the control, COSP treatment effectively retarded pH change, reduced the formation of total volatile basic nitrogen, and inhibited bacterial growth during refrigerated storage. The development of preservatives for aquatic products is expected to delay the growth of and spoilage by microorganisms in the refrigerated state, thus providing more barrier protection for aquatic food safety. ABSTRACT: Oyster shell waste has led to many problems, including displeasing odors, pollution of the seaside, and harm to the environment. Using calcined oyster shells as a natural preservative might solve the problem of oyster shell waste. We studied the use of calcined oyster shell powder (COSP) as a natural preservative for improving shrimp shelf-life over 12 days under refrigerated conditions. As compared with the control, COSP treatment effectively retarded pH change, reduced the formation of total volatile basic nitrogen, and inhibited bacterial growth during refrigerated storage. In addition, shrimp muscle lipid oxidation measured by peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) was decreased during storage. The quality was preserved up to 12 days with 2.0–4.0% COSP treatment as compared with only 6 days for un-treated shrimp. The development of preservatives for aquatic products is expected to delay growth of and spoilage by microorganisms in the refrigerated state, thus providing more barrier protection for aquatic food safety.