Kinetics of Quality Changes of Shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) During Pasteurization

Effect of cooking between 1 and 80 min at 60 to 100 A degrees C on several quality attributes of whole peeled shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) (80-90 counts/kg) was studied using an isothermal heating method. Cook loss, area shrinkage, and hardness of shrimp increased with increasing heating time and temperature, following a fractional first-order kinetic model with activation energies (E (a) ) of 71.0, 53.3, and 29.9 kJ/mol, respectively. Cook loss, area shrinkage, and hardness were positively correlated. The toughness of shrimp muscle increased in the initial period of heating, then decreased in the later period during the treatments. The overall color change (Delta E) increased with increasing treatment time and temperature, and followed a zero kinetic model with an E (a) of 37.2 kJ/mol. The kinetic parameters obtained from this study can be applied toward understanding and predicting shrimp-quality changes during pasteurization treatments, and further provides insight into the pasteurization conditions required to achieve safe and high-quality shrimp products and potentially other crustacean shellfish and seafood products.