Effects of modified atmosphere packing over the shelf life of sous vide from captive pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) Enrique José Gregorio Pino Hernández a, ⁎, Raul Nunes de Carvalho Jr. b , Maria Regina Sarkis Peixoto Joele c , Cleidiane da Silva Araújo a , Lúcia de Fátima Henriques Lourenço a a LAPOA/FEA (Faculty of Food Engineering), Federal University of Para, Rua Augusto, Corrêa 01, Guamá, 66075-900 Belém, Pará, Brazil b LABEX/FEA (Faculty of Food Engineering), Federal University of Para, Rua Augusto Corrêa 01, Guamá, 66075-900 Belém, Pará, Brazil c Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Pará, IFPA, Castanhal, PA, Brazil abstract article info Article history: Received 22 July 2016 Received in revised form 11 November 2016 Accepted 15 November 2016 Available online 17 November 2016 The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of modified atmosphere in packing sous vide of pirarucu in tucupi and shrimp sauce under refrigeration. Three treatments were carried out vacuum at 98%, 60%CO 2 /40%N 2 , and 70%CO 2 /30%N 2 . The composition of CO 2 and N 2 was monitored along with evaluation of pH, a w , water retention capacity, acidity, texture, N-TVB and TBARS, color, mesophilic and psychotropic anaerobes, presence of Salmonella spp, sulphite-reducing Clostridia, counts of coagulase-positive Staphylococci, coliforms at 45 °C and sensorial analysis. All results were compared through ANOVA, Tukey's test, Principal Component Analysis and Multiple Factor Analysis. We observed a trend towards the reduction of CO 2 in packages while O 2 has increased by the end of storage. The microbiological results were within the established limits by law during the entire pe- riod. The shelf life of sous vide stored could be defined by N-TVB, TBARS, b* and C*, general acceptance, texture and flavor in 49 days of storage. Industrial relevance: The development of sous vide with freshwater fish is an alternative for a value-added product to be supplied to market niches. Employing the sous vide technique on fish yields a product with better color, taste, texture, and nutrient retention than the traditional cooking processes, which makes it an attractive alter- native for its consumption. This study aimed to prepare sous vide using captive pirarucu, tucupi and shrimp and to analyze the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory quality parameters during refrigerated in atmo- sphere modified packaging storage. The results of this study establish the product's shelf life (49 days) and con- tribute to defining processing and storage conditions for fish sous vide. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Pirarucu Shelf life Modified atmosphere packaging Principal Component Analysis Multiple Factor Analysis 1. Introduction The pirarucu is the largest Amazonian carnivore fish, reaching up to 200 kg of total weight in the wild. Because of its adaptability, high mar- ket value, excellent taste, remarkable size and fast development, several researches have been focused on the captive rearing of this species, leading to promising results in fish culture (Cavero et al., 2003). Fish products are highly perishable food sources since the odor, fla- vor, color and texture are quickly altered by the growth of aerobial mi- croorganisms, thus determining quality losses of fish meat (Teodoro, De Andrade, & Mano, 2007). The shelf life is defined by the period in which a food product remains safe for consumption by maintaining appropri- ate microbiological, physicochemical, and sensorial characteristics (Baldwin, 2012). Studies about the shelf life of food products depend on the knowl- edge about internal and external features that affect the velocity of deterioration, such as packaging techniques, formulation, storage condi- tions and others. The modification of atmosphere inside packages in- creases significantly the shelf life of food up to three or four fold times higher than that observed in refrigerated food only (Teodoro et al., 2007). The sous vide is a combined technique used for raw or partially cooked (grilled or baked) food sources packaged in modified atmo- spheres, hermetically sealed and then pasteurized to preserve the nutri- tional and sensorial traits (FDA, 2013). This product should be stored at 0–3 °C to avoid chemical and microbiological deterioration and heated before consumption (Szerman et al., 2007). The fish used in the prepa- ration of sous vide should be fresh, and free of scales and bones (Baldwin, 2012). The modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) consists in modifying or replacing the air composition inside the package (Mantilla, Santos, de Vital, Mano, & Franco, 2010). The vacuum packing was the first com- mercial method of MAP developed (Parry, 1997) but a combination of other gases like carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), oxygen (O 2 ) and nitrogen (N 2 ) can be used as well (Santos & Oliveira, 2012). Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 39 (2017) 94–100 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: enriquepino410@gmail.com (E.J.G. Pino Hernández). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2016.11.009 1466-8564/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ifset