The influence of lipid composition, storage temperature, and modified atmospheric gas combinations on the solubility of CO2 in a seafood model product

Abstract

The demand for tasty, convenient, fresh seafood products is continually increasing. This stresses the need for processing methods that can prolong the otherwise short shelf life of seafood. A well-studied method is the use of modified atmosphere packing. However, research into the use of modified atmosphere packaging for seafood with varying lipid composition is limited. Thus, in this experiment the effect of lipid profile, storage temperature, and the gas composition of the modified atmosphere on the solubility of CO2 in a seafood model product was investigated. The temperature dependent Henry’s constants for the various compositions showed that the physical state of the lipids clearly influenced the solubility of CO2 in the model products, with liquid fat leading to a similar solubility of CO2 as water, while CO2 only being minimally dissolved in solid fats.