LAUSR

Seaweeds have attracted an increasing attention as a new source for bioactive compounds, these include preservative compounds. This study is a first attempt to employ alga Cystoseira compressa for the preservation of chilled fish. For it, a combined ethanol–aqueous extract of this alga was included in the icing system and employed as chilling medium for the storage of horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) for 11 days. On the basis of the microbial groups (aerobes, psychrotrophs, proteolytic, lipolytic and Enterobacteriaceae bacteria) assessed, an inhibitory effect (p < 0.05) on microbial activity in horse mackerel muscle was observed as a result of including the alga extract in the icing medium; such preservative effect was also proved by chemical determinations related to microbial activity (pH and trimethylamine values). Additionally, a significant decrease (p < 0.05) of lipid hydrolysis (free fatty acids formation) and oxidation (fluorescent compounds formation) in fish was also observed as a result of the presence of C. compressa extracts in the icing medium. The icing medium proposed in this work (i.e., the combination of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of C. compressa) may constitute a promising strategy to the application of natural algae extracts for fatty fish storage and enhance quality retention during commercialisation.