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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Seafood is a great source of nutrients, indispensable to a healthy diet, ranging from proteins and fatty acids to vitamins and minerals. Due to their nutritional characteristics and composition, seafood products are highly perishable foods. The application of non-toxic, natural, and edible preservatives as a coating to extend the shelf life and inhibit bacterial proliferation of several foods has been a hot topic. This work aimed to perform the microbiological characterization of squids and shrimps skewers during their shelf-life and to evaluate the susceptibility of isolated microorganisms to several natural edible compounds. One hundred bacterial isolates were identified through rRNA 16s sequencing resulting in the detection of several Enterobacteriaceae (Serratia spp., Klebsiella spp., Hafnia spp., Rahnella spp., among others), Pseudomonas spp. and Lactic Acid Bacteria (Lactococcus spp., Leuconostoc spp. and Weissella spp.). No Escherichia coli or Listeria monocytogenes were detected on the analyzed samples. The antibacterial activity of Carvacrol, Olive Leaf Extract, Limonene, different Chitosans, Ethanolic Propolis Extracts, and Citrox® was evaluated by the agar diffusion method against the 100 isolates identified. Minimum inhibitory concentration was determined only for Citrox® (1.69% v/v) since only this compound could inhibit all the isolates. Although preliminary, this study showed evidence that Citrox® has the potential to be used as a natural preservative in these seafood products, improving food safety while reducing waste. However, further studies are required, such as the development of a Citrox®-based coating and its application on this matrix to validate its antimicrobial effect.