Optimized UVC-LED condition to improve the shelf life of vacuum-packed refrigerated stored rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets

This study aimed to optimize UVC-LED conditions (power ranging from 1 to 1.58 mW/cm2 and time between 500 and 2700 s) using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) for enhancing the shelf life of vacuum-packed trout fillets while retaining their physicochemical quality during 14 days of storage at 4 +/- 1 degrees C. Treatments were evaluated for total aerobic psychrotrophic count (TAPC), lipid oxidation (LOX), instrumental color, and texture parameters. The UVC-LED increased the shelf life and lipid oxidation and decreased lightness nonlinearly. On the other hand, it preserved redness reduction and increased yellowness and hardness linearly. The ideal UVC-LED treatment was 1.46 mW/cm2 for 2407.8 s (3515.40 mJ/cm2), which led to a 1.4-fold increased shelf life while retaining color and texture changes closer to the initial quality. Still, it increased LOX by 160% over the storage under refrigeration, although retaining it within the acceptability threshold. Thus, this optimized UVC-LED condition is a green preservation alternative to improve the safety and quality of vacuum-packed refrigerated stored trout fillets, promising to enable the sustainable development of the fish production sector.