Prediction of Litopenaeus vannamei under the influence of Peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil, temperature and storage by response surface methodology

In the present study, the effect of alcoholic essential oil of Mentha piperita at concentrations of 0, 0.5 and 1% and at 4, -3 and -10 °C on the shelf-life of Litopenaeus vannamei during 15 days of storage, using by response surface method was analyzes. Essential oil analysis using GC-MS showed the menthol as the most abundant compound in essential oil. About total viable count (TVC), the total volatile nitrogen bases (TVB-N), peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and free fatty acid (FFA) concentration of essential oil, with high level of F-value compared to time and temperature, was the most important factor affecting the shelf life of shrimp (p < 0.05). Shrimp kept at -10°C on the 7 and 15th days of storage at 0.5 and 1% concentrations, respectively, were within the allowable range for human consumption. Based on the results, TVC and then TVB-N were the most important factors in determining the shelf life of shrimp. The regression coefficient (R2, R2-adj) showed that, the regression model was able to describe the relationships between the various variables of time, temperature and essential oil concentration and the dependent variables and the obtained models predicted near-realistic values that could be they used it as a way to reduce the cost of testing.