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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306855
Title: High pressure processing with hot sauce flavoring enhances sensory quality for raw oysters (Crassostrea virginica)

Author
item Kingsley, David
item DUNCAN, S. - Virginia Tech
item GRANATA, L. - Virginia Tech
item SALINAS-JONES, A. - Virginia Tech
item FLICK, G. - Virginia Tech
item BOURNE, D. - Virginia Tech
item FERNANDEZ-PLOTKA, V. - Virginia Tech

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2015
Publication Date: 6/16/2016
Citation: Kingsley, D.H., Duncan, S.E., Granata, L.A., Salinas-Jones, A., Flick, G.J., Bourne, D.M., Fernandez-Plotka, V.C. 2016. High pressure processing with hot sauce flavoring enhances sensory quality for raw oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Journal of Food Science and Technology. 50:2013-2021.

Interpretive Summary: High pressure processing (HPP) is used commercially to shuck oysters and as an intervention for Vibrio vulnificus. ARS has investigated the potential of HPP to inactivate human norovirus (HuNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) within raw shellfish. While viruses can be inactivated, the pressures required substantially exceed current pressures used to shuck shellfish commercially. In this publication, we find that we can use higher pressures in conjunction with flavoring agents to create a uniquely-flavored raw oyster that is well received by taste testers. Microbiological analysis reveal that the HPP of raw oysters with flavoring agent (Sriracha®), enhanced the reduction of different bacteria substantially beyond what was achieved by HPP treatment alone. This approach could be used to produce raw oysters with enhanced microbial safety, potentially free of infectious HuNoV and HAV. Based on the observed reduction in spoilage bacteria, it is anticipated that raw oysters processed using this method will have an extended shelf-life as compared to shucked untreated oysters.

Technical Abstract: This study evaluated the feasibility of flavoring raw oysters by placing them under pressure in the presence of selected flavorings. Hand-shucked raw oysters were processed at high pressure (600 MPa), in the presence or absence of (Sriracha®) flavoring, and evaluated by a trained sensory panel 3 and 10 days after processing. The sensory panel evaluated high pressure processed oysters (Crassostrea virginica), with and without flavoring, for 14 characteristics using a 10-point intensity scale. Oysters were plump and characterized as moderately chewy and firm. Most oyster flavor characteristics were low in intensity with moderate intensity for briny and umami attributes. Flavored oysters were moderately tangy in flavor with a tangy aftertaste. While both treatment groups had significant bacterial reductions as compared to the untreated control oysters, a significantly (P= 0.032) enhanced bacterial reduction was observed for HPP-flavored oysters. Flavoring a raw oyster by HPP provides means to create a unique microbiologically-safe product with excellent sensory characteristics, which may influence consumer acceptance and marketability.