Hyperbaric Storage of Atlantic Razor Clams: Effect of the Storage Conditions

Objective As shellfish preservation is still nowadays a challenge for the food industry, in this paper, the effectiveness of hyperbaric storage in preserving Atlantic razor clams ( Ensis directus ) was evaluated both at low (HS-LT) and at room temperature (HS-RT). Methods The study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, razor clams were stored at different pressure levels, both at 5 °C and 20 °C, for 7 days to identify the most efficient storage pressure at both temperatures. Then, in the second phase of the study, HS-LT and HS-RT experiments were performed at these conditions for 14 days to compare the effectiveness of both methods. Results Microbial analysis after storage showed that, at 5 °C, a minimum pressure of 50 MPa was needed to prevent microbial growth in the samples, while 75 MPa were required at 20 °C. In the second phase of the study, results revealed that both HS-LT (50 MPa/5 °C) and HS-RT (75 MPa/20 °C) extended the microbial shelf-life of the razor clams to, at least, twice that achieved in conventional refrigeration, but quality decline was larger in the samples stored at 75 MPa and 20 °C. Conclusions HS-LT resulted more effective than HS-RT for the preservation of razor clams.