The effect of carvacrol, thymol, eugenol and α-terpineol in combination with vacuum packaging on quality indicators of anchovy fillets

Food safety issues associated with the increased use of synthetic and chemicals preservatives agents are receiving increasing attention. The utilisation of natural resources may provide a potential and advisable alternative to chemical preservatives in the seafood industry. This research study focused on the impacts of pure bioactive compounds (carvacrol, thymol, eugenol, and α-terpineol) on the sensory and microbiological (total viable count, TVC) and chemical qualities (total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), free fatty acid (FFA), and peroxide value (PV)) of vacuumed packaged anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) fillets during the refrigerated storage period. This study also evaluated the potential effect of bioactive compounds on biogenic amines (BAs) and ammonia (AMN) production in fish samples. Sensory investigations revealed that the control had an 8-day shelf life, that of the carvacrol and α-terpineol treatment was 15 days, and that of the thymol and eugenol treatment was 19 days. The application of bioactive compound on fish had a positive impact on the preservation of its oxidative stability through the reduction of TBA, FFA, and PV values as well as enhancement of the microbiological quality in comparision to the control. The use of pure bioactive compounds resulted in the reduction of the accumulation of BAs and AMN in anchovy fillets during 22 days of storage. The results exhibited that the pure bioactive compounds mainly eugenol and thymol, can increase the shelf life of anchovy. Therefore, they can be used by seafood industries as preservative agents due to their good antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.