Aloe Vera For Fish Preservation

Aloe vera gel is one of the bio-preservative which has a great potential for seafood products. Attempt was made to study the use of Aloe vera gel extract treatment to extend the shelf life and quality of hilsa fish, Tenualosa ilisha, an important tropical fish of Indo-Pacific region, during chilled storage in insulated ice box. A dip treatment of fish with 18%, 20% and 22% Aloe vera gel extract for 2 hrs before chilled storage in ice and resulting changes in physical, chemical microbiological and sensory characteristics of fish during 15 days chilled storage was analyzed. Notable changes in chemical quality parameters like TMA-N, TVB-N, PV and FFA along with microbiological and sensory parameters were recorded for quality assessment. Treated fish were found to be better in terms of chemical quality, microbiological and sensory score than the untreated controlled fish. 22% gel extract treated showed the best result followed by 20% and 18%. All treated fish showed shelf life of 15 days without noticeable sign of spoilage as compare to 12 day records for untreated fish.