Shelf-life of shucked oyster in epigallocatechin-3-gallate with slightly acidic electrolyzed water washing under refrigeration temperature

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of soaking oyster meat with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) after washing with slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on microbiological, physico-chemical properties under cold storage. The results showed that the 60 ppm SAEW (pH 6.14) reduced the number of contaminated bacteria with small change of physico-chemical properties of oyster. Soaking the oyster meat in 5.0 mu g mL(-1) under refrigeration temperature for 13 days provided the bacterial total viable count less than 6 log, considered a good bacteriological quality, with undetectable of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. During the storage, oyster meat illustrated pH higher than 6 and with acceptable level of total volatile basic nitrogen value. The cutting strength of oyster meat was gradually decreased until the storage ended. This study demonstrated a potential application of EGCG in controlling pathogenic bacteria in foods processed without a bacterial reduction step.