AUTHOR=Elsabagh Rasha , Ibrahim Samar S. , Abd-Elaaty Elsayed M. , Abdeen Ahmed , Rayan Ahmed M. , Ibrahim Samah F. , Abdo Mohamed , Imbrea Florin , Şmuleac Laura , El-Sayed Amal M. , Abd Elghaffar Rasha Y. , Morsy Mohamed K. TITLE=Chitosan edible coating: a potential control of toxic biogenic amines and enhancing the quality and shelf life of chilled tuna filets JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2023 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1177010 DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2023.1177010 ISSN=2571-581X ABSTRACT=Edible films and coatings offer a great potential to support sustainable food production by lowering packaging waste, extending product shelf life, and actively preserving food quality. Using edible coatings containing plant extracts with antioxidant and antibacterial characteristics could help to enhance quality and shelf life of fish products. In this study, the combination of chitosan with beet roots, curcumin, and garlic extracts on biogenic amines (BAs) reduction, biochemical quality [pH, thiobarbituric acid index (TBA), trimethylamine (TMA), and total volatile base (TVB)], shelf life and sensory characteristics of tuna fillets was investigated over 14 days of refrigerated storage compared to control (uncoated samples). The results showed that the coated samples experienced a lower increase in BAs levels than control. Among the treated samples, chitosan incorporated with curcumin (CH-C) showed the highest reduction in BAs formation (1.45 – 19.33, 0.81 – 4.45 and 1.04 – 8.14 mg/kg), followed by chitosan with garlic (CH-G) (1.54 – 21.74, 0.83 – 5.77 and 1.08 – 8.84 mg/kg) then chitosan with beet root extract (CH-B) (1.56 – 31.70, 0.84 – 6.79 and 1.07 – 10.82 mg/kg) and chitosan without extract addition (CH) (1.62 – 33.83, 0.71 – 7.82 and 1.12 – 12.66 mg/kg) compared to control samples (1.62 – 59.45, 0.80 – 11.96 and 1.14 – 20.34 mg/kg) for histamine, cadaverine and putrescine, respectively. In addition, the rate of increase in pH, TBA, TMA, and TVB of all coated treatments were lower than control. Sensory evaluation results revealed that chitosan-treated samples incorporated with beet root, garlic and curcumin extracts showed good quality and acceptability characteristics. Overall, chitosan edible coatings incorporated with beet root, garlic and curcumin extracts reduced the biogenic amines formation, delayed the biochemical deterioration and extended the shelf life of tuna fillets. Among the treated samples, CH-C demonstrated a remarkable superiority in all the studied parameters. Therefore, this study provides a promising strategy for the incorporation of active compounds in edible coatings to improve the quality and safety of foods during storage.