Effect of nanoemulsion to minimise undesirable odour and colour of cinnamon bark oil and to improve sensory properties of refrigerated Asian seabass fillets

The use of cinnamon bark oil (CBO) to inhibit fish spoilage causes undesirable changes in sensory properties of fish fillets. This research prepared CBO nanoemulsion (CBON) and studied its effects on the volatile profile and sensory properties of Asian seabass fillets. Changes in volatile profile, colour and odour scores, and overall likeness scores of CBON-treated fillets were determined during storage in comparison to the control (CTRL) and bulk cinnamon bark oil (BCBO)-treated ones. After treatment, CBON and BCBO were able to mask the natural odour of fish fillets. However, CBON did not change the fillets' colour. During storage, CBON-treated fillets contained relatively higher cinnamaldehyde content and higher colour score but less cinnamon oil-like odour score than those of BCBO-treated ones. CBON-treated fillets also had higher acceptance scores than those of CTRL and BCBO-treated fillets after storage. These results demonstrated the efficiency of the nanoemulsion system to minimise undesirable effects of CBO and maintain sensory acceptance of the fillets during storage.