Effects of tea polyphenol coating combined with ozone water washing on the storage quality of black sea bream (Sparus macrocephalus)

The present research evaluated the effects of tea polyphenol (TP) combined with ozone water (O3) on the quality of black sea bream (Sparus macrocephalus) over a period of 15 days storage at 4 °C. A solution of TP (0.2%, w/v) was used to coat the fish after washing with ozone water (1 mg/L). Fish physicochemical (pH, K value, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid, total volatile basic nitrogen, trimethylamine, texture, and colour), sensory, and bacteriological characteristics were all analysed. TP + O3 treatment effectively reduced nucleotide breakdown, lipid oxidation, protein decomposition, and microbial growth, and maintained better characteristics of texture, colour, and sensory compared with the control. The efficiency of TP + O3 treatment was also better than that of TP treatment or O3 treatment alone. Therefore, tea polyphenol coating combined with ozone water prewashing may be a promising method of maintaining the storage quality of black sea bream and of extending fish post-mortem shelf-life during 4 °C storage.