Sous-Vide Cooking After Vacuum-Impregnation with Lemon Juice: Effects on the Meat of a Freshwater Fish

Abstract

This study evaluated the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of boga (Megaloporinus obtusidens) fillets vacuum-impregnated with 60% (v/v) lemon (Citrus limon) juice and cooked by sous-vide. The vacuum-cooking at 60°C for 1 h 13 min presented a significantly lower weight loss (26.00–10.08) than at 55°C for 3 h 46 min (36.00–17.22). Both conditions stu- died had equivalent effects on microbiological safety. Vacuum impregnation with lemon juice and the effect of sous-vide cooking thus add to the value of a regional food – namely a salubrious freshwater-fish meat – an synergistic effect on the control of spoilage bacteria during the storage under refrigeration.