Ferulic acid-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes: Application on the preservation of hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus)

Abstract

A new method to stabilize ferulic acid (FA) in the aqueous phase by encapsulating FA into β-cyclodextrin was developed to prepare ferulic acid-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes (FCICs), and the potential applications of FCIC as a preservative in hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) were tested. The antibacterial properties of specific spoilage bacteria in hairtail were analyzed. FCIC possessed significantly higher efficacy (p < .05) of scavenging DPPH and H2O2 radicals. In the antibacterial assessment, several strains isolated from hairtail after ten days of storage were selected. FCIC showed significantly higher antibacterial activities (p < .05) against these bacteria. To further validate whether the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of hairtail remained throughout storage, the physiological properties of hairtail were analyzed. It was shown that hairtailtreatment with FCIC inhibited the spoilage of hairtail throughout storage at 4°C. FCIC with an FA:β-CD ratio of 1:2 (IC1:2) could prolong the shelf life of refrigerated hairtail for 3–5 days. This study provided an enormous potential for applying FA in the shelf-life extension of hairtail.