Research Information System
European Food Research and Technology, vol.252, no.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This study investigates how salting (≈ 3% NaCl), borax addition, and mild pasteurisation (60 °C/20 min) jointly affect the nutritional quality, oxidative stability, microbial safety, and sensory acceptance of aquacultured Acipenser gueldenstaedtii caviar during refrigerated storage. Four processing groups were evaluated: traditional malossol (TM), borax-added malossol (BTM), pasteurised malossol (PTM), and borax-added pasteurised malossol (BPTM). Proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), water activity, microbial load, and sensory attributes were monitored during 7 months of cold storage (2 ± 1 °C). Essential amino acids increased after salting, with lysine, leucine, and valine showing the largest rises (up to ~ 49%, p < 0.05). Borax showed a temporary inhibitory effect on microbial growth but reduced certain semi-essential amino acids. All formulations maintained sensory scores ≥ 5.0/10 for ~ 5 months (p < 0.05), after which scores declined. Across treatments, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) peaked at ~ 11.8% (PTM); TVB-N reached ~ 6.4–9.2 mg/100 g by month 7; TBARS increased to ~ 0.70–1.30 µg MDA/g; mesophilic counts reached ~ 5.5 log cfu/g; and sensory acceptability persisted to ~ month 5. These findings show that optimised traditional processing can enhance the nutritional profile, safety, and shelf-life of sturgeon caviar.