Italy is one of the main mussel producer Country in the EU, but
this production is not matched by development of processing
techniques able to maintain product quality and facilitate storage
and utilization along the supply chain. Changes in consumer’s
habits suggest the need for processed products with
longer shelf-life also for traditional seafood like mussels. This
research was aimed to compare the effect of under vacuum package
(SV) with traditional plastic net (RT) on live mussel shelflife.
The effect of the storage method was evaluated on chemical,
physical and microbiological parameters of M. galloprovincialis
kept at 3°C±0.5 for 16 days. Statistical analysis was used to compare
the collected data. In a first trial, groups of 15 mussels were
checked in duplicate in terms of mortality, intervalvar liquid
release, edible portion water holding capacity and microbiological
counts to evaluate the effect of the innovative and traditional
package at day 1, 3, 6, 9, 13 and 16. Vacuum storage resulted able
to extend live mussel shelf-life: mortality started earlier in RT
group (day 6 of storage) relatively to the SV group (day 9 of storage).
In a second trial, the effect of byssus removal was tested.
Four groups of 15 mussels were daily sampled for 13 days.
Mussels kept under vacuum with byssus (SVBS) exhibited lower
mortality compared to RT groups or under vacuum after byssus
removal (SVDB). Microbiological counts and pH values of the
edible parts, although modified during storage, did not reveal
significant differences between groups SVBS and SVDB. The
research shows the efficacy of vacuum packaging to extend live
mussel shelf-life in comparison with the traditional plastic net
while preventing product contamination and body fluids loss.
