Effects of whey protein films on the quality of thawed bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) chunks under modified atmosphere packaging and vacuum packaging conditions.

To improve the quality of modified atmosphere (60% CO2/15% O2/25% N2)-packaged or vacuum-packaged bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) chunks, an edible film containing whey protein isolates (WPI) were added. During storage at 2 °C, the samples coated with WPI prior to packaging exhibited slower microbial growth, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), and total volatile basic-nitrogen (TVB-N) values than did those without films. On comparing the two formulations of WPI with 4 and 8% (v/v) glycerol, it was observed that WPI containing 8% glycerol induced more severe weight loss but retarded the lipid oxidation more effectively. The usage of WPI films with 8% glycerol is proved to be helpful to enhance the effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the quality of tuna, as the samples (MAP-2) displayed the lowest bacterial counts (3.63 log CFU/g) and TBA (0.349 mg malondialdehyde (MDA)/kg) and TVB-N (12.94 mg N/100 g) contents.