POTENTIAL FUTURE CHALLENGES TO THE APPLICATION OF GAMMA IRRADIATION TO SEAFOOD IN TUNISIA

There is an increasing consumer demand for high quality, minimally processed, additive-free and microbiologically safe foods. The future application of irradiation to the seafood industry is developing. In order to investigate the feasibility of using gamma irradiation in the fish and seafood industry, questionnaires were distributed to the managers of 25 fish exporting companies. The cost of irradiation and the additional transport services were discussed and mostly accepted. This survey showed that essential conditions are to be found in Tunisia to introduce irradiation technology into the exporting seafood industry. However, the legal status of seafood irradiation varies in some importing countries (mainly European Union [EU]). Regulators within the EU have taken different approaches to allowing processors to use this technology. Such inconsistency is related to the objection of misinformed consumers. Consequently, commercial trade of irradiated seafood could be impeded.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This article provides evidence of the importance of industry managers' role in the food chain when testing the feasibility of a new process. Fish shelf-life extension using gamma irradiation is an emerging technology that presents many advantages to all food chain components and allows international trade requirements to be met. The seafood export industry in Tunisia shows the technological need for such a process. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that the economic cost of irradiation in Tunisia is acceptable and that it could enhance fish export capacity. However, the legal status of fish irradiation in the import countries, mainly the European Union, should be modernized in order to assure the feasibility of irradiated fish export from Tunisia.     

THE INFLUENCE OF LOCAL CANNING PROCESS AND STORAGE ON PELAGIC FISH FROM TUNISIA: FATTY ACID PROFILES AND QUALITY INDICATORS

The present study was designed to assess the effect of local canning process and storage time (up to 6 months) on tuna and sardine canned in olive oil and tomato sauce, respectively. The canning process affected tuna ( P <  0.05) but not sardine lipid levels. Canned tuna and sardine absorbed coating oil during sterilization, inducing a higher oleic (C18:1 ω9) and linoleic (C18:2 ω6) acid content. Independent of fish species, the eicosapentaenoic (C20:5 ω3) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6 ω3) acid concentrations ranged from 2.96–6.24% and from 5.16–40.26%, respectively. The peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid index increased significantly in tuna but not in sardine flesh following the cooking step. The histamine levels increased significantly ( P <  0.05) during storage but remained lower than the threshold limits. Although tuna and sardine flesh were slightly affected by the canning process, they remained good sources of ω3 and ω6 fatty acids.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

In the present study, we investigate the changes of the lipid fraction quality (fatty acids composition, peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid index) and histamine during processing and storage of two different fish species (tuna and sardine) processed during the same period. This would allow for the assessment of the different canning process steps (cooking and sterilization) and storage on fish meat, especially on its lipid quality. To our knowledge, such information is rather scarce. An evaluation of olive oil and tomato sauce effects on the enrichment of the nutritional oil quality of the tuna and sardine, respectively, and the stability of fish lipids oxidation were equally conducted. Finally, these data may supply some valuable information for other scientists working in the field of human nutrition.