Effect of combined application of plant extract and vacuum packaged treatment on the quality of hot smoked rainbow trout

The effect of plant extract (bay leaf, rosemary, black cumin seed and lemon oil) treatment on the shelf life of vacuum-packaged fish was studied. Hot smoked rainbow trout was treated with 1 % plant extracts, and their shelf lives were compared with those of control (only vacuum packaged) samples. Samples were stored at 2 °C and sensory evaluation as well as chemical and microbiological analyses were conducted weekly. The control group was spoiled after four weeks of storage. In contrast the addition of plant extracts decreased microbiological activity. The results obtained from this study showed that the shelf life of hot smoked trout stored in cold storage (+2 °C), as determined by overall acceptability of all data, was 6 weeks for rosemary, black cumin seed, and lemon oil treatment plus vacuum packaged fish and 7 weeks for bay leaf oil treatment plus vacuum packaged smoked fish.