Date of Award

Fall 12-15-2023

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Food Science and Human Nutrition

Advisor

Denise Skonberg

Second Committee Member

Jennifer Perry

Third Committee Member

Jason Bolton

Abstract

Sous-vide cooking is a thermal processing method in which a raw food is vacuum sealed in a pouch and then placed into water below 100°C for a controlled amount of time. It is particularly good for cooking meats because of its precise control over temperature and time, which results in an ideal food texture for consumers. This method also prevents the food from coming in contact with oxygen, which can lead to spoilage that reduces product quality and shelf life. Acidification is a food preservation method that utilizes acids to lower the pH of foods, making the environment less conducive to the growth of certain spoilage and/or pathogenic microorganisms. Mussels are economically important; however, they are commonly sold live in mesh bags, with little effort to increase their value in the market. The development of value- added mussel products would benefit a sustainable seafood economy and make it more convenient for consumers to increase their consumption of healthy seafood products.

The objectives of this research included: (1) evaluating the impacts of two sous-vide cooking temperatures (65°C or 75°C) and three lactic acid treatments (0%, 0.5%, or 1%) on physicochemical properties and microbial quality of mussel meats over 35 days refrigerated

storage and (2) determining the impacts of three potential home preparation methods (consuming immediately after sous-vide cooking, reheating in a bag submerged in boiling water, reheating in a saucepan) on the physicochemical and consumer acceptability of sous-vide mussel meats in an acidic marinade.

In the first study, shucked mussel meats were vacuum-packaged in bags with lactic acid solutions (0%, 0.5%, or 1%) and sous-vide cooked at 65°C or 75°C for 30 minutes. Sous-vide processing at 75°C, combined with the 1% lactic acid solution, maintained total volatile base nitrogen values, a seafood spoilage indicator, at a “good” quality level over the course of the 35 refrigerated storage days. Adding 1% lactic acid solution reduced the initial pH of the product, significantly reducing total plate counts, psychrotroph counts, and TVBN production compared to the control. Therefore, acidification coupled with sous-vide processing at 75°C was selected for subsequent evaluation.

In the second study, consumer acceptability and physicochemical analysis of the impact of thermal home preparation methods on acidified (marinated) sous-vide mussel meats were evaluated. Reheating did not significantly impact the sensory acceptability of the mussels compared to the sous-vide control. The lack of differences in consumer acceptability between home preparation methods suggests that consumers have a lot of flexibility in preparing the value-added product. Participants appeared to be receptive to the product concept, with over 80% stating they would be likely to purchase the product in the retail environment. The results of these studies have important implications for the mussel industry and value-added mussel products and suggest that there is room for further innovation of acidified sous-vide mussel products at the retail level.

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